Western tanagers are medium-sized songbirds found in western North America. With their bright yellow bodies and red heads, these birds add a pop of color to backyards and parks. Tanagers are omnivorous, feeding on insects, fruit, and seeds. This varied diet prompts many bird enthusiasts to wonder – do Western tanagers like suet?
What is Suet?
Suet is rendered beef fat provided as bird food, usually in seed feeders. It offers high-fat nutrition to help wild birds get the calories they need, especially in winter. Suet is a nutritious food source that attracts insect-eating birds like woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees.
Nutritional Profile
Suet is an energy-dense food, providing birds with the following nutrients per 100 grams:
Calories | 884 |
Total Fat | 98 g |
Saturated Fat | 39 g |
Monounsaturated Fat | 45 g |
Polyunsaturated Fat | 11 g |
With mostly fat and little carbohydrate or protein, suet offers an excellent source of energy for winter birds when insects and other foods are scarce.
Consistency and Presentation
Suet is solid at room temperature but melts easily. It is often presented in mesh bags, blocks, or cylinders in specialized suet feeders. The fat consistency allows birds to grab bites easily as they cling to feeders. Larger suet blocks or bags provide feeding opportunities for multiple birds at once.
Western Tanager Natural History
To understand if suet fits into the Western tanager’s diet, let’s first look at some key facts about these birds:
Identification
Males have bright yellow bodies contrasted with reddish-orange heads. Their wings are black with yellow shoulders. Females are duller, with olive-yellow bodies and grayish heads. Both have thick pointed bills suited for eating insects and fruit.
Range and Habitat
Western tanagers live along the Pacific Coast and throughout the Western United States into the Rockies. They prefer open coniferous forests but may wander into mountain meadows and backyards when migrating or breeding.
Migration
This bird migrates to spend winters in Mexico and Central America. The migration period in spring and fall means tanagers stop in a wide range of habitats across North America.
Diet
Western tanagers eat primarily insects like bees, wasps, ants, and beetles during the breeding season. At other times, they supplement with fruit like wild blackberries or seeds. Their preference is foods they can pick while perched on branches.
Feeding Behavior
Tanagers forage for food in trees, making quick sallies out from a perch to snatch up insects. They also gorge on ripe fruit and may visit feeders for treats like jelly or mealworms.
Do Western Tanagers Eat Suet?
Based on their natural diet and feeding habits, Western tanagers may eat suet at bird feeders under the right conditions:
High-Fat Food Source
The high fat content of suet appeals to migrating and wintering tanagers in need of extra calories.
Supplements Fruit Diet
Tanagers shift to eating more fruit in fall and winter. Suet offers a valuable fat source to balance a diet of sugary fruits.
Mimics Insects
Suet is a soft, high-fat food. Its visual and textural properties may mimic insects like larvae or caterpillars.
Contains Seed and Fruit
Many suet blends include seeds, berries, and fruit that tandem with the suet to attract tanagers.
Visited by Other Birds
Active suet feeders draw in insect-eaters like woodpeckers. Tanagers may investigate feeders being used by other species.
Offered in Small Bites
Suet in mesh bags or blocks allows birds to pluck off tiny morsels, similar to eating individual insects.
Best Practices for Feeding Suet to Tanagers
Follow these tips to make suet attractive for Western tanagers visiting your yard:
Choose No-Mess Formats
Opt for suet packaged in bags, cylinders, or blocks. Loose suet is messy and less likely to interest tanagers.
Offer Fruit-Enhanced Suet
Seek out suet blends with dried berries, apple bits, orange peel, etc. This combination is enticing to fruit-loving tanagers.
Use Tailored Holders
Special suet cages or mesh bags allow suet to be hung in trees at tanager eye level to encourage feeding.
Set Out in Winter
Winter is when suet will be most valued by tanagers needing the fat and calories.
Situate Away from Feeders
Position suet in trees or on posts a few feet from main feeders so tanagers have a quiet space to approach it.
Pair with Water Source
A heated birdbath or dripper nearby gives birds water to drink after eating fatty suet.
The Verdict
Western tanagers are likely to eat suet, especially in winter. Their appetite for high-fat insects makes suet a suitable supplemental food. Offer suet formulated for fruit-eating birds and served in no-mess blocks or bags. Place suet feeders in trees away from busy feeder stations to allow tanagers a calm spot to fuel up on the fatty bird food.