How To Eat A Peanut – Titmouse Style

Peanuts are a coveted food source at my bird feeders. Many species take advantage of their high fat and protein content. But, not all birds eat them the same way. The Blue Jays and Northern Mockingbirds tend to swallow shelled peanuts, whole. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers snatch and fly off with their peanuts, so I am not certain how they consume the nuts.

The Tufted Titmice and the Chickadees are said to store nuts and seeds in a cache. When that is their objective, they grab and go – flying off to a location quite far away. However, they sometimes stick around, landing just a few feet from the feeder, where I can observe the action. Their eating style includes using their feet to hold a morsel as they chip away at it.

Here, a Tufted Titmouse snacks on a peanut at a location not too far from the platform feeder.