These slug-eating birds can help keep your garden pest-free – here's how to attract them
If slugs are making a meal of your plants, attracting the right garden birds can help keep the slimy little pests in check...
Forget chemicals and copper tape and beer traps aplenty; did you know that birds will get rid of slugs in a garden?
Yes, we all know that slugs are one of the biggest frustrations for gardeners, capable of stripping hostas, dahlias and young vegetable seedlings in a matter of days. While there are plenty of ways to get rid of slugs, though, not everyone wants to rely on pellets or spend evenings picking them off by hand.
Instead, encouraging natural predators into your garden can provide an effective, wildlife-friendly way to reduce slug numbers. Especially as several familiar garden birds feed on slugs and snails as part of their diet anyway.
Helping to create a healthier garden ecosystem while supporting local wildlife? It sounds like the perfect solution to a very sluggy problem (particularly if you tend to grow the plants that slugs love). So, how to go about doing it like a pro?
Attracting birds that will get rid of slugs for you
The key to attracting birds that will get rid of slugs in a garden is making your outdoor space somewhere these birds want to visit regularly. From leaving leaf litter to planting the right shrubs, a few simple changes can help attract birds that will happily do some of the hard work for you.
1. Encourage slug-eating birds to visit
Not all garden birds eat slugs, but several common species are known to snack on them while foraging.
Charlotte Ambrose, one of the Wildlife Experts at the RSPB, says, ‘There are quite a few garden birds that will eat snails and slugs. Song thrushes are probably the one most well-known for eating snails, although like blackbirds they do eat both snails and slugs. Smaller garden birds such as wrens and dunnocks may also help keep snail numbers down in your garden, as both are known to eat small snails (although not a top choice).’
While it is important to note that birds alone won’t eliminate every slug, attracting species that naturally feed on them can help keep populations at more manageable levels over time.
Garden bird essentials
Always opt for high-quality bird feed. The RSPB's own brand contains no nasty filler ingredients.
2. Make your garden a natural feeding ground
Rather than keeping your garden overly tidy, leave areas where birds can forage for insects and molluscs.
Charlotte explains that ‘all these species have similar foraging styles, rummaging through leaf litter and turning leaves over in search of a wide range of insects as well as molluscs.
Instead of raking up leaves and disposing of them, make leaf litter piles, and plant wildlife-friendly plants like holly, spindle and common dogwood to encourage them to visit your gardens all year round.’
As well as picking up something like a red-barked dogwood from Crocus, then, remember that leaf litter piles create valuable habitat for wildlife while giving birds somewhere to search for food. The trick is to make your garden attractive throughout the seasons.
3. Provide food, water and use a citrus fruit trap
Alongside wildlife-friendly planting, offering birds the basics will encourage them to spend more time in your garden.
Richard Green, bird feeding specialist at Kennedy Wild Bird Food & Pet Supplies, says, ‘Start by making sure you have the essentials, like food, water, and shelter. Planting berry-producing shrubs such as hawthorn, ivy, and cotoneaster is a simple way to encourage visits year-round, even during colder months. And adding a birdbath or shallow water source helps birds stay hydrated and cool, especially in warm weather.’
We quite like this pebble bird bath from Crocus if you fancy something different!
Try these berry producing plants
When in bloom, this award-winning hawthorn attracts pollinating insects and nesting birds in its dense canopy.
This evergreen climber features clusters of yellowish-green autumn flowers, followed by spherical black fruit.
Beautiful heads of white flowers from December to April, followed by dark blue-black fruit? Win!
Richard also recommends a simple trick that can help birds find slugs more easily.
‘Using citrus-fruit traps is a fantastic, natural alternative for pest control in the garden. Cutting an orange or grapefruit in half and placing the halves throughout your garden can serve a dual purpose,’ he says.
‘Birds are drawn to the fruit, and slugs are attracted to the leftover rinds. Once the slugs gather, the birds will return to eat them, creating an effective and eco-friendly way to manage pests.’
FAQs
Which birds eat slugs in the UK?
If you want to know which birds eat slugs in the UK, you may be surprised to know that there are a fair few! ‘Birds such as blackbirds, song thrushes, robins, starlings and mistle thrushes will all enjoy a feed on slugs and snails,’ says Morris Hankinson, director of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
‘Blackbirds and robins are particularly keen on rummaging in borders for slugs and the song thrush is well known for eating both slugs and snails. They often crack snail shells against stones.’
How do you get birds to eat slugs?
It is a very good idea to try to attract birds to feast on slugs for you, but how best to go about doing so?
‘Many common garden birds happily feed on slugs and snails, helping to keep their numbers in check and bringing your outdoor space to life. The joy of morning bird song is a delight and if they eat the slugs and snails that’s a huge bonus too,’ says Morris Hankinson, director of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
To attract birds, he says you should ‘provide a source of fresh water for drinking and bathing, grow a mix of native trees, hedging, shrubs and flowering plants for shelter, food and nesting spaces plus leave parts of the garden a little wild’.
‘Dense hedges, log piles and natural leaf litter all create habitats that birds love. Hanging feeders can also encourage regular visitors, especially during colder months,’ he adds.
Combined with wildlife-friendly planting and a reliable source of food and water, encouraging slug-eating birds into your garden is one of the simplest ways to let nature deal with this particularly pesky problem for you (this writer swears by it, quite frankly).
Of course, it won’t replace other methods entirely (a little copper tape can go a long way). That being said, it can reduce the number of slugs reaching your prized plants. And, even better, it will do so while making your garden a richer habitat for wildlife, making it a real win-win approach!
Always opt for high-quality bird feed. The RSPB's own brand contains no nasty filler ingredients.
A bird bath can be a stylish addition to a garden will providing birds with a constant provide of clean, fresh water.
These nesting boxes are ideal for housing small birds such as robins, bluetits and sparrows.
