Don’t toss those eggshells just yet! That humble breakfast byproduct sitting in your kitchen could be the secret to transforming your backyard into a bustling bird sanctuary.

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Bird enthusiasts across the country are discovering that this simple kitchen scrap might be the key to attracting more feathered visitors – and supporting their health in the process.

Birds Eat Eggshells for Calcium

Some birds that will come to feed on eggshells as a source of calcium when these are left out in a garden include bluebirds, gnatcatchers, orioles, tanagers, kingbirds, and swallows, for example. Birds can eat eggshells as they are, but many bird feeders will choose to rinse and bake them until they are dry to sterilize them and make them crumble up more easily.

How to Prepare Your Eggshells for Feathered Friends

Creating this avian superfood isn’t complicated, but there are some crucial steps to follow. As Wild Birds Unlimited explains, proper preparation is key to both bird safety and attractiveness.

Here’s what you need to know:

First, thoroughly clean your eggshells and bake them at 250°F for about 20 minutes to sterilize them. This step is crucial for preventing the spread of any potential bacteria.

Once cooled, crush the shells into small pieces – approximately the size of a grain of rice or smaller. Birds prefer shells in this form because it is easier for them to consume and process.

Feed Year-Round, but Pause if Nuisance Wildlife Shows Up

Feeding birds can be beneficial throughout the whole year. Of course, there are many reasons to do so in every season.

But feeding backyard birds in summer can be beneficial for several reasons beyond avian welfare. If you find that you are making your garden or yard too hospitable to nuisance wildlife, pause your bird feeding activity for a while, especially of table scraps and “people food.” Making those purchases now, so they will be ready for the birds return.

If you decided in January that you needed to purchase some new bird feeding items for the spring season then, now is the time to order them to have everything set out in the yard waiting. You may find these selections helpful.

Uneaten Eggshells Add Calcium and Birds Help the Garden

Moreover, the egg shells can also help add calcium to enrich the soil in your garden. So any not eaten by the birds might help to enhance the fertility in your garden and help you grow a healthy bird-friendly habitat for all your avian visitors.

Creating habitats in your garden that are as biodiverse as possible is crucial for any truly bird-friendly garden. Diverse habitats attract not only birds but also a range of other wildlife.

This helps make sure a garden can provide for all sustainably and in an eco-friendly way – truly standing the test of time. Though those growing tomatoes may sometimes find birds a pest, it is important to remember that encouraging wild birds to your garden brings many more benefits than problems.

Birds, of course, help fertilize your garden and keep nature’s cycles turning. Some aid in pollination, while many help keeps pest numbers down.

Eggshells for backyard birds