If you have cultivated an ivy in your garden that blooms and produces dark berries, you can often observe birds on the plant in the winter months. In this article we will clarify whether the animals also snack on the fruit.
Do birds eat the ivy berries?
TheIvy berries are very popular with birds. Since the fruits of the ivy ripen between January and March, they enrich the animals' winter diet. Thanks to their high pulp content, they also provide a lot of energy.
Why do birds eat ivy berries?
The berriesare very nutritiousand have an optimal sizeof under one centimeter for ingestion with the beak. The proportion of pulp to seeds is quite high, so the birds do not have to search long to meet their energy needs.
The ivy berries are slightly shiny and stand out from the foliage due to their dark color. This makes them clearly visible to animals looking for food.
Which birds eat ivy berries?
The berries of the ivy are eaten by avariety of vegetarian birds. These include:
- Blackbird,
- Star,
- Thrush,
- Garden warbler,
- Redstart,
- Gropfinch,
- Blackcap,
- Robin.
Ivy is also popular with birds because its dense foliage remains on the plant even in winter and provides protection when it eats.
Which ivy produces the berries that are so tasty for birds?
Onlythe old form of the ivy forms flowers from which the dark black berries popular with our feathered friends are formed. You old ivy based on the following characteristics:
- Blooms from September.
- Stops climbing and becomes bushy.
- Dark bark.
- Heart-shaped, unlobed leaves.
The non-climbing shrub ivy Hedera helix 'Arborescens', which grows in the form of a small shrub, also produces flowers and berries. Ivy that creeps along the ground, on the other hand, never blooms or adorns itself with fruit.
When do the he althy ivy berries for birds ripen?
The ivy berries ripenbetween January and April and therefore at a time when the birds cannot find much food. The fruits of the climbing plant are therefore a welcome addition to the winter menu.
Tip
Ivy flowers are also ecologically valuable
When the ivy puts on its rather inconspicuous umbel flowers from September onwards, it is swarmed almost constantly. In addition to honey bees, hoverflies, wasps, bumblebees and butterflies such as the magnificent admiral visit the plant. Even creepy crawlies like the cute ladybirds feast on the energy-rich nectar and pollen in autumn due to the lack of food sources.
