Attract More Cardinals This Winter With These Tasty Fruit Treats

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Cardinals are particularly popular among backyard birders. As a result, many people shift their focus to attracting them throughout the winter season, bringing a joyful splash of color to a snow-white landscape. The best way to keep cardinals happy all winter is by providing them hydration and nutrition. Like most birds, cardinals have a fairly wide ranging diet. However, one of the best ways to attract more cardinals during winter is giving them dried fruit as an alternative, or in addition, to standard bird seed.

Cardinals actually love fruit throughout the year. In fact, planting beautyberry and other berry-producing shrubs and trees is a great way to attract cardinals to your yard. However, most berries ripen in the summer months. During winter, not only are berries less common, but so are other natural food sources for the intrepid birds, such as insects and seeds. At the same time, harsh winter weather creates a need for a higher caloric intake for cardinals. As a result, they will not only be more reliant on supplemental sources of calories from feeders, they will also be seeking food with high caloric content. This makes winter an ideal time to provide them with dried fruit as a natural treat.

Dried fruit provide a variety of benefits for cardinals: It provides a high-calorie snack to help the birds maintain energy and body temperature in winter, along with much-needed vitamins, minerals, and fiber. While cardinals eat a wide variety of dried fruits, some fruits are more beneficial than others. Dried cranberries, apples, and cherries are all good choices, but make sure and offer natural, unsweetened versions. Avoid those with added flavorings, colorings, salt, and other ingredients that may be difficult for birds to metabolize. Raisins should not only be unsweetened, but also unsulfured/sulfur-free. This means the raisins were not preserved with sulfur dioxide, which can cause health issues for cardinals.

When it comes to presenting dried fruit to birds, some suggest soaking it in water to rehydrate it to make them easier to eat. Cut larger pieces, such as from dried apples or apricots, into smaller, bite-size pieces. Once the dried fruit is prepared, it can be placed in a bird feeder, on the ground, or in tree limbs. If you are placing it in a feeder, a tray or platform style feeder, like the Kingsyard two-tier platform feeder, works best. 

While dried fruit can provide big benefits to cardinals during winter, it shouldn't be their sole source of food. In fact, when they are eating fresh fruit from a bush, they're also often looking for seeds. The best winter option is to mix fruit with high-caloric seeds cardinals love, such as black oil or sunflower or safflower seeds. While you can use fresh fruit to attract cardinals, it is more prone mold and bacteria if the birds do not consume it promptly. For that reason, dried fruit is typically seen as a more convenient option. Regardless of the mix of seeds, fresh, and dried fruit, you can keep your bird feeders safe all winter long by regularly cleaning them.