Snails are a thorn in the side of many gardeners. Getting rid of them is not that easy. Find out below whether birds eat snails, which species of birds particularly like to eat the garden pests and how you can attract them to your garden.
Do birds eat snails and what species of birds do they prefer?
Birds eat snails because they are rich in protein and serve as a food source. Blackbirds, jays, magpies, crows, ravens, starlings and storks especially like snails. Runner ducks are known as the number 1 snail killer.
Do birds eat snails and why?
Birds are among themost common predators of snails. Not only do the pests provide birds with calories and water, they are also extremely high in protein - up to 12.8g of protein per 100 grams of snail! Snail eggs are rarely eaten by birds because they are usually hidden under leaves. However, if you discover snail eggs yourself, you can uncover them and present a delicious meal to a bird.
Which birds eat snails?
Snails are at the top of the menu for the followinglarger bird species:
- Blackbirds
- Jay
- Magpie
- Crows
- Ravens
- Stare
- Storks
Small snails are also eaten by robins and fed to their young by parent birds.
Which bird is the number 1 snail killer?
The archenemy number 1 of all snails areRunning ducks With just a handful of “snail ducks” you can keep your garden snail-free. But: Keeping runner ducks is not that easy: they need enough space and a pond, because runner ducks are swimming birds.
How do I attract birds to the garden to ward off snails?
The more birds you have in the garden, the fewer problems you will have with snails. There are various measures you can use to attract birds:
- Hang up nesting boxes for the species mentioned (note hole size!).
- Put up birdbaths.
- Offer birds extra food in fall and winter.
- If you have a cat, protect the birds by protecting the trees - especially those with nesting boxes! – wrap with cat repellent belts.
Which snails do birds eat?
Unfortunately, birds do not distinguish between useful and harmful snails and eat bothNudibranchs and shell snails Some of the shell snails are even useful for our garden because they themselves destroy pests, such as the Roman snail, which also likes to eat eggs of slugs. The tiger snail, a black-spotted slug, also feeds on the eggs of its conspecifics.
Tip
Which animals still feed on snails?
In addition to birds, there are a number of other animals that, with a little skill, you can invite into your garden for a snail feast. These include: hedgehogs, frogs and toads, slowworms and snakes, moles, chickens, shrews and various beetles, beetle larvae and mites.
