Do Birds Eat Crab Apples? A Guide to Feeding Crab Apples to Backyard Birds

Crab apples are a tasty treat that many backyard birds love, Offering crab apples is an easy way to supplement birds’ diets and attract new feathered friends to your yard, But which birds eat crab apples? And what’s the best way to serve them up? Let’s dive in and explore the wonderful world of feeding crab apples to birds!

Crab apples are smaller, tarter relatives of domestic apples There are over 800 varieties ranging in size, color, and flavor They thrive in temperate climates and bear fruit from summer through fall.

While crab apples aren’t the most appetizing for human consumption, they make a scrumptious and nutritious snack for birds. The fruits are loaded with carbohydrates to fuel birds’ high metabolisms. They also provide vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and small amounts of fat and protein.

Crab apples grow on short, compact trees, making them perfect for small yards. Popular ornamental varieties like ‘Sargent’ and ‘Red Barron’ produce abundant crops of dark red fruits that really stand out against the foliage.

What Birds Feast on Crab Apples?

Many backyard birds will eagerly devour crab apples. Good rule of thumb: if a bird eats fruit, it will probably enjoy crab apples too.

The most frequent diners include:

• American Robins
• Cedar Waxwings
• Bluebirds
• Thrushes
• Mockingbirds
• Catbirds
• Woodpeckers
• Titmice
• Chickadees
• Nuthatches
• Juncos
• Finches
• Grosbeaks
• Tanagers
• Orioles
• Jays
• Crows

Larger birds like robins and waxwings gobble up crab apples with ease. Smaller birds take nibbling bites or peck away the flesh to reach the seeds inside.

Even notoriously picky birds like finches relish crab apples. They provide an important source of dietary fiber, which seed-eating birds don’t obtain enough of.

Ground feeders like towhees, juncos, and sparrows will scavenge fallen crab apples. And fruit-loving migrants like tanagers and orioles welcome crab apples during spring and fall stopovers.

When Do Birds Eat Crab Apples?

Crab apples ripen from mid-summer through early fall. This coincides with breeding season for many birds. The fruits provide nourishment for busy parents and their demanding nestlings.

Birds will continue feasting on crab apples into winter. They devour any fruits remaining on bare branches, relying on them for precious carbohydrates when insects and other foods are scarce.

During spring and fall migration, migratory birds welcome crab apples to fuel their strenuous journeys.

How to Offer Crab Apples to Birds

Here are some tips for serving up crab apples:

• Leave fallen fruits under trees instead of cleaning them up. Birds will scavenge the ground for them.

• Skewer halves or slices on branches, stakes, or special fruit feeders.

• Chop in a food processor and mix with suet. Stuff into mesh suet feeders.

• Dice into smaller pieces and place in platform feeders or bowl feeders.

• Impale on a spike through a fence. Birds can perch and peck.

• For a fun project, string whole fruits onto sturdy thread and drape around trees/shrubs.

Crab Apple Trees for Bird Habitat

Adding a crab apple tree boosts your landscape’s value to birds. Varieties like ‘Centurion’ and ‘Sugar Tyme’ produce heavy crops of very small red or yellow fruits that birds devour.

Choose disease-resistant, cold-hardy crab apples suitable for your growing zone. Opt for trees grafted onto dwarfing rootstock to keep size manageable.

You can espalier or trellis crab apples against fences and walls. This saves space while creating perfect bird habitat. The dense branching provides shelter and nesting sites too.

Go organic. Avoid spraying pesticides that could be harmful if birds ingest chemically treated fruits. Also provide water sources like bird baths.

Crab Apples Offer More than Food

While birds relish the fruits of crab apple trees, they also utilize them in other ways:

• Dense branching provides shelter and nesting sites.

• Bark crevices offer winter roosts and nest cavities.

• Flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds and orioles.

• Pollen feeds bee species that birds rely on.

• Foliage harbors insect prey.

So crab apple trees support backyard birds in more ways than one! They make an excellent addition to any bird-friendly landscape.

Combining with Other Bird Foods

Although birds relish crab apples, you shouldn’t rely on them as the sole food source. Offer a balanced diet with other foods:

• High energy suet cakes and nutritious seed mixes provide fat and protein.

• Nectar feeders serve up sugar-rich fuel for hummingbirds.

• Mealworms offer live prey for parents feeding nestlings.

• Fruit slices like oranges and grapes complement crab apples.

Varying foods throughout the seasons keeps birds interested and ensures a complete diet.

The Bottom Line

Crab apples are a simple way to provide natural, nutritious fruits that appeal to a wide range of backyard birds. Their small size makes them easily accessible. And fruit-loving species consider them a scrumptious seasonal treat.

Pair crab apples with other bird feeders and bird-friendly plantings to create a balanced habitat. Then sit back and enjoy the sight of feasting flocks filling up on fresh fruits!