New Research Reveals Diet of Baby Eastern Bluebirds

Summary In this episode, Ashley Kennedy and I discuss the results of her research on the diets of nestling eastern bluebirds. Ashley used GoPro cameras located on active bluebird nestboxes to take pictures of what eastern bluebirds were bringing back to the nest to feed their young. Over the course of several seasons, she obtained over 8,000 pictures which clearly showed food being brought back to the nest.    3 things you'll learn from this episode: The most common food items brought back to eastern bluebird nestlings, plus some less common and very unexpected prey items. Some of the reasons why caterpillars are such an important food source for baby birds. Insights into eastern bluebird food preferences.   Today's guest Ashley Kennedy is an entomologist who recently published her research on what eastern bluebird nestlings eat.    Resources: Ashley's research  The Backyard Ecologist's Newsletter  Backyard Ecology™ Community    Thank you! We want to say a big "Thank you!" to all our financial supporters who help us provide free educational content about the plants, pollinators, and wildlife that can be found in our yards and communities.   Join our financial supporters in helping us produce free content for everyone. It doesn't take much if we all work together. If everyone who hears this contributed just $2-3 / month (or the cost of one bottle of soda / month), we would be able to produce a whole year's worth of videos, podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and other free content. Ways to contribute include: Monthly contributions.  One-time donation online. Mailing a check to Backyard Ecology, P.O. Box 652, Glasgow, KY 42142-0652.