Japanese beetles are a major pest for gardeners and farmers across North America. These metallic green beetles with copper-colored wings devour the leaves and flowers of over 300 different plant species, especially roses, grapes, linden trees, and soybeans. While pesticides can help control Japanese beetle populations, many gardeners prefer natural methods like beneficial insects that prey on the beetles. Birds are one of the top predators that help keep Japanese beetle infestations in check.
Which birds eat Japanese beetles?
Many common backyard birds will eat Japanese beetles when given the opportunity. Some of the top beetle-eating birds include:
- Blue jays
- Cardinals
- Chickadees
- Orioles
- Robins
- Sparrows
- Starlings
- Woodpeckers
While all of these birds consume the adult beetles, some are more effective hunters than others. Blue jays, for example, can snatch the beetles right off plants and devour dozens each day. Orioles also actively hunt the beetles, impaling them on thorns or barbed wire before eating them. Sparrows and starlings flock to beetle-infested areas and forage for the insects on the ground. Robins may opportunistically grab beetles when found, but don’t actively seek them out.
How do birds catch and eat Japanese beetles?
Birds have a variety of strategies for catching and consuming the beetles:
- Plucking beetles from foliage: Agile birds like chickadees, blue jays, and orioles will perch on plant stems and pick off any beetles they spot on the leaves and petals. They use their strong beaks to simply grab and pluck the beetles off.
- Gleaning beetles from the ground: Once Japanese beetles have finished feeding on plants, they will drop to the ground. Birds like robins, starlings, and sparrows forage along the ground and snap up any beetles they find.
- Skewering beetles: Resourceful birds like shrikes and orioles will impale beetles onto thorns or barbed wire fences. This allows them to immobilize the prey before returning to consume it.
- Cracking shells with beaks: Woodpeckers and crows use their strong, chisel-like beaks to crack open the hard wing covers and access the soft inner body of the beetles.
- Eating beetles whole: Small birds like chickadees are able to eat smaller Japanese beetles whole. Their muscular gizzards help grind up and digest the hard wing covers.
In addition to adult beetles, some birds will eat the C-shaped white grubs that live underground. Robins and starlings use their beaks to probe into lawns and dig out the plump, protein-rich grubs.
What makes birds good natural control for Japanese beetles?
Birds are very effective natural predators of Japanese beetles for several reasons:
- Adaptability: Birds can hunt beetles in multiple ways, including plucking from plants, gleaning from the ground, and excavating grubs from soil.
- Mobility: Birds are highly mobile and can cover a wide territory in search of aggregations of beetles.
- Vision: Most insect-eating birds have excellent color vision and visual acuity to spot beetles on plants.
- Appetite: Many birds are voracious consumers of insects, easily eating their body weight in beetles daily during nesting season.
- Numbers: Even a small flock of birds can collectively eat hundreds of beetles per day.
Supporting healthy backyard bird populations is an easy, sustainable way to let nature help control Japanese beetle damage.
How can you attract birds to eat more beetles in your yard?
Here are some tips to bring more beetle-eating birds into your outdoor space:
- Provide bird feeders with seeds, suet, and nectar.
- Supply a fresh water source like a birdbath or fountain.
- Plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers that attract insects and insect-eating birds.
- Put up nest boxes suited for chickadees, wrens, and other cavity nesters.
- Avoid pesticides that may poison the birds or their prey.
- Set up perches where birds can scan for beetles.
- Let fallen leaves and litter accumulate to support ground-foraging birds.
- Accept some plant damage knowing birds control pests.
A little bit of planning and habitat management can encourage birds to take up residence and feast on beetles in your yard all season long.
Conclusion
From tiny chickadees to clever crows, a wide variety of common birds are natural predators of Japanese beetles. They use varied strategies to pluck, glean, skewer, crack, and consume both the adult beetles and their grub larvae. Supporting bird-friendly habitats provides free, chemical-free pest control and hours of enjoyable birdwatching.