What do birds eat?

Birds eat all kinds of plant and animal matter. This includes seeds, pollen and fruit, insects, fish, other birds and small mammals such as mice, rats and voles. They also eat snakes, lizards, frogs and invertebrates.

Some birds eat seeds, while others eat fruit. Others use their bills to probe beneath the ground to look for insects and other invertebrates. Still others fly after insects, while some birds look for insects by moving through foliage or undergrowth. Some birds, such as hummingbirds, sunbirds and honey creepers, eat nectar.

Many birds find a good vantage point to sit and wait for prey to pass by. Raptors actively hunt for prey. Vultures eat carrion.