Mosquitoes are tiny insects which make that irritating high-pitched noise against your face, cause itchy bites and carry many dangerous diseases. This is one of the species around Earth which no human would like to come in contact with. It also becomes a great challenge for humans to get rid of them, but some wild animals, including some insectivores bird species, do their best to keep them off insects and mosquitoes. These birds have been proved useful and very important for clearing up a considerable amount of mosquito population.
It is clear that there are birds who eat mosquitoes, but the question lies how many of them are there. There is a group of birds that can be best described as mosquito-eating birds. These include Barn Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Tree Swallows, Purple Martin and a few more. These birds can feed on the adult life stages of mosquitoes and aquatic species. If we put birdseed out for these types of birds, it can attract them, and would probably boost their mosquito-killing appetites. We can narrow our search by looking upon the characteristic of the following birds.
· Barn swallows
Barn swallows live in colder regions like Canada, Alaska and Newfoundland, to southern habitats including northern Florida and California, down to Mexico, Central America and South America. Some breeds are also found in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Barn swallow travels by day, eating as it flies, scooping up insects along the way. This bird is an insectivore, meaning it only eats insects, including mosquitoes in the air, on land or the water’s surface. This bird plays a significant role in clearing up a large number of flies and mosquitoes that comes in their way.
· Eastern kingbirds
Eastern Kingbirds are found more in the summer season, especially in eastern regions. They are considered very rare in the west. They nest and feed near river, streams and wetlands which proves to be a perfect stomping grounds for mosquitoes. They can catch their prey in mid-air, like the barn swallow, and their diet changes throughout the year, depending on what’s available. During the summer and spring season, they feast mostly on insects and mosquitoes whereas, during the colder seasons, when insects are not around, they eat more berries.
· Tree swallows
According to a website, it is shown that tree swallows can eat their body weight in mosquitoes and other insects each day. Tree swallows are slightly smaller than barn swallows, with white bellies and black bills, metallic greenish-blue heads. They are found in many of the same regions as barn swallows, including Newfoundland, Alaska, Canada and California, along with Colorado, Maryland and Nebraska. When winter hits, they migrate to the Gulf coast, Carolinas or California. Like barn swallows, they catch mosquitoes and other insects mid-air on land or the water’s surface.
· Purple martin
According to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, there are certain rumours that purple martins eat massive numbers of mosquitoes, but these claims are not correct. It is said that purple martins are indeed obligate aerial insectivores, which directly means that for them flying insects are almost always the main course. Purple martins enjoy a variety of insects including mosquitoes, beetles, flies, dragonflies, mayflies, wasps, stinkbugs and other flying insects. Purple martins live on both West and East Coasts, and head to South America after the breeding season.
Conclusion
It can be righteously said that birds including Barn Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Tree Swallows and Purple Martin can prove themselves to be a bit useful for clearing a large amount of population of insects and mosquitoes from around the atmosphere. These birds are insectivores which could be helpful for all of the animals, and humans.
