Mosquitoes have always irritated the life of humans and also are a host of many dangerous diseases.Mosquitoes have several different predators that might help in mosquito control but is ineffective in large areas. Many different animals feed on mosquitoes, and mosquito larvae and mosquito-eating birds go to the top of the list among mosquito predators.Many different birds eat mosquitoes. Various waterfowl, purple martins, swallows, and migratory songbirds feed on both the aquatic larvae and adult mosquitoes. These birds that eat mosquitoes feed while flying during the day. You might think that the biggest predators of humans are ferocious animals such as sharks; however, mosquitoes are some of the most dangerous and probably cause the most harm to humans.The females of the mosquitoes need to feed on blood for the formation of their eggs. The bite used to suck blood from the body can transmit dangerous illnesses and parasites to humans and pets alike. For proper mosquito control, nature has helped by providing many animals and birds that are mosquito predators. These birds, bats, and insects are the real saviors of the world from the mosquito pest. These annoying mosquitoes seem to be everywhere, and there are not many ways to escape from them.There are mosquito repellants to help us from these flying insects, but nothing is better than nature’s mosquito predators, the birds. Unfortunately, the main problem is that the birds that eat mosquitoes, spiders, and other flying insects are very scarce compared with the mosquitoes inside your house and outside on your lawn. It would help find ways to attract these birds near your home to control the mosquito population. If you give these birds that eat mosquitoes a chance, they will keep your yard free of pests.Several insects and animals can be considered natural predators of mosquitoes. While some insects and animals choose adult mosquitoes as their food sources, most feed on mosquito larvae. Frogs, birds, tadpoles, spiders, salamanders, and numerous insects are essential players in keeping the population of mosquitoes at rest. Species of birds like brown bats can catch around 600 mosquitoes per hour.Insects like dragonflies are great hunters of other insects living near the water. Since mosquito larvae are found in water, they are an essential part of their diet. Dragonflies in the immature stage also feed on mosquito larvae. Dragonflies are very quick and can snatch the mosquitoes while flying. Mosquito hawks (dragonflies, damselflies, and crane flies) are great hunters of mosquitoes and primarily help control the mosquito population throughout the world.It is said that birds like purple martins feed on around a thousand mosquitoes per day. Migratory swallows, ducks, and warblers are known to eat mosquitoes. Both adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae are part of their diet. Some examples of mosquito-eating bird species are purple martins, red-eyed vireos, downy woodpeckers, yellow warblers, nighthawks, chirping sparrows, Eastern bluebirds, Baltimore orioles, geese, Eastern phoebes, terns, barn swallows, ducks, and common wrens.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about why do dogs howl at night and birds that sing at night here on Kidadl?Why do some birds eat mosquitoes?There are many species of birds in the world that eat mosquitoes regularly and are part of the diet, along with other flying bugs and insects.A bird that eats mosquitoes feeds on both the adult and the larval form of the bugs. Birds are natural mosquito killers, and many species of birds like to eat these bugs, helping us in the way. However, mosquitoes are not found all year round, so birds have to rely on other insects and bugs during the off-season. Birds and bats help control mosquitoes in your yard, as they can get rid of these pests in the natural habitat. Although these species of birds eat mosquitoes majorly, they also feed on flies and mosquito hawks (dragonflies, damselflies, and crane flies).The purple martin bird (swallow family) eats mosquitoes mostly, while other species of birds keep mosquitoes as a small portion of their diet (spiders, wasps, ants, moths, and beetles constitute the diet). Purple martins also feed on Japanese beetles and cucumber beetles. Different songbirds and even hummingbirds are capable of snatching the mosquitoes mid-air. Most birds that eat these kinds of bugs prefer flying out during the day. Mosquitoes choose to fly around your lawn in the evening, and that is when the birds will snatch these pests right in the air. This procedure is relatively easy for the birds.Name Some Bird Species That Eat MosquitoesVarious bird species are known to eat mosquitoes and other flies and bugs as their primary food. Dragonflies and damselflies also feed on mosquitoes, but birds are the main predators. They are an almost perfect way for mosquito control.Let’s look at a few birds of the world that eats mosquitoes, among other things.Northern Cardinal: These birds known for their beautiful plumage and melodious song are common residents of North America. These birds usually feed on the nectar of flowers, seeds, berries, nuts, and many types of insects. Mosquitoes fall into this category.Baltimore Oriole: This is a migratory bird that covers long journeys by changing its diets frequently. Their food ranges from fruits and berries in the summer months, but when the weather changes to cold, these birds turn to insects like mosquitoes for food.Eastern Kingbird: These colorful birds live in the eastern United States and eat anything from lizards to insects, with their favorites being mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are easy pickings for the eastern kingbirds, so what’s not to love? These birds use the method called sallying, where they fly upwards and dive to catch the prey when they see it.Blackpoll Warbler: These migratory songbirds that breed in North America and winter in South America are perfect deterrents of mosquitoes. Other bird species keep mosquitoes as an alternative, but the blackpoll warblers eat mosquitoes as their primary food. They go back to the previous nesting areas to find more mosquitoes to eat.Chipping Sparrows: These tiny birds from North America live in trees near water sources and feed on mosquitoes. They eat the mosquito larvae, which would have turned into a dangerous adult mosquito after. They are great for mosquito control.Eastern Phoebe: These birds from the US are voracious mosquito eaters and can be seen hawking for the bugs in a yard, a pond, or a field. The birds fly through swarms of mosquitoes for easy food.Tree Swallow: These are insectivorous birds that feed on dragonflies, beetles, wasps, moths, spiders, and many other types of insects, including mosquitoes. The swallows are known to eat around 2000 mosquitoes per day. They are an excellent bird for natural mosquito control.Robins: Robins are also known to eat mosquitoes. You can even keep a robin in your yard, and they will keep the mosquitoes at bay. They are found in Asia, North America, and Europe. They are often found in a yard, open ground, garden, or wetlands nearby bodies of water.Bluebirds: Bluebirds are one of the prettiest birds to look at and even contribute to controlling the mosquito population of the world. Bluebirds love the odor of sweet smell of mosquitoes and go hunting by watching closely where the insects are known to be nesting. They will attack the mosquitoes from all sides and even pick them from the ground if needed.Barn Swallows: These birds are some of the most common birds of North America. Barn swallows are known to stay near water in warmer conditions. Apart from flies, mosquitoes, wasps, moths, ants, spiders, and earthworms, these Barn Swallow birds also eat mosquitoes in abundance. These birds hunt by catching the prey on the wing. They can eat 60 insects per hour or 850 per day.Purple Martin: These birds are part of the swallow family and feed on insects like dragonflies, ants, beetles, moths, spiders, and flies. It is said that the favorite food of these birds is mosquitoes. The birds hunt in the sky for mosquitoes and pluck them out. The beak is quite strong, and it can penetrate the larvae hiding underwater.Many other birds in the world feed on mosquitoes and help in controlling the population. Even bats, tadpoles, and other reptiles help to reduce the mosquitoes from the world.Do House Sparrows eat mosquitoes?Yes, sparrows are sometimes known to be feeding on mosquitoes, among other insects.House sparrows are known to mainly eat seeds that crack open by using the strong beak they possess. They eat grains, including white millet, rice, soybeans, wheat, oats, barley, corn, and many more. Many plant and grass seeds attract these birds scattered on the lawn. Seeds from sunflower, canary, and nyjer are the favorites of House Sparrows. You can also feed them nuts like peanuts and beechnuts. However, when possible, you should provide sparrows with unshelled nuts. They also feed on a mixture of fruits, berries, vegetables, and anything that is offered to them.Sparrows feed on various small insects, such as bees, caterpillars, aphids, and ants during the early spring and summer seasons. Judging by the size of the bird, it probably feeds on mosquitoes too. Insects are only given to the young as they need better nutrition to grow. Once the chicks mature, the sparrows return to their original herbivorous diet. Sparrows are not like mammals and birds like hummingbirds, bats, tadpoles (feeds on larvae sometimes), or dragonflies that feed primarily on insects like mosquitoes. Sparrows prefer plant materials as their primary food.How many mosquitoes do swallows eat a day?The Barn Swallows love eating the insects that irritate us, like mosquitoes, flying termites, and gnats.Barn swallows can quickly eat 60 insects in an hour and an astonishing 850 insects in a day. So, if this trend carries on, they will eat more than 25000 insects in less than a month. James Brock is with the Horry County Mosquito Control, and he believes that Barn Swallows can eat around 14000 mosquitoes in a day to get all the required nutrition for their bodies.Although swallows prefer insects like beetles, wasps, and dragonflies, they are commonly seen feeding on mosquitoes too. Birds do help in reducing a few percentages of mosquitoes from the world, but due to scattered populations, proper control has not been achieved.How to attract birds that eat mosquitoes to my home?The best way to control a few mosquito problems in your yard is to attract some mosquito-eating birds to the area.These are the ways - As birds always prefer fresh water in the area, keeping a birdbath or a fountain will help attract some birds in the summer heat. Using different kinds of seeds will attract different types of birds to your backyard and provide better results. If you install multiple feeders in your area, you will create a bigger coverage radius for deterring mosquitoes. Providing a few birdhouses will help to attract birds, too, as it will offer more coverage.Plant some ground cover and low shrubs to make the birds feel safe. It will also help on a rainy day or a bright sunny day to provide shelter to the birds. Be patient, use these ways and wait for the birds to arrive. It may take a couple of weeks to attract the birds to this new location, but once they are here, mosquitoes beware!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for birds that eat mosquitoes, then why not take a look at what do cockroaches eat, or can ferrets eat cat food?
Mosquitoes have always irritated the life of humans and also are a host of many dangerous diseases.
