# Is it a good idea to have birds around my vegetable garden? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251 "2020-06-26T18:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/1 "2020-06-26T18:52:38Z")
I’m thinking about putting up bird attractants by my vegetable garden (bird bath, bird feeder, etc.) Are there any significant pros or cons to doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/2 "2020-06-26T19:34:53Z")
Depending on the birds and the vegetables some of your crop might get nibbled, or outright eaten. Which would be a con. On the other hand, you might have a lot fewer insect pests and their cousins because a lot of birds like chowing down on arthropods. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/3 "2020-06-26T19:37:46Z")
**OFF TOPIC** : Broomstick! I’m so glad you posted! I was starting to get worried because we hadn’t heard from you in the last few days. Hope you’re ok. 🥳 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/4 "2020-06-26T19:47:08Z")
**MORE OFF-TOPIC:** Thanks for thinking of me - been busy, working, dealing with all sorts of chaos (we had a house fire near my building yesterday, that was a bit distracting, as an example)… I’ve been reading here, but I guess I haven’t been posting much. Still learning the new ropes. But I’m OK here. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/5 "2020-06-26T19:50:14Z")
👍 🙂 Return to regularly scheduled topic. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/6 "2020-06-26T19:58:39Z")
I grow peaches, pears, loquats, figs, mulberries, pomegranates, jujubes, grapes, mangoes, guavas, chicko sapote, persimmons, Brazilian cherries and satsuma citrus. All in my backyard. I used to grow vegetables before but not anymore. I share all the fruits with birds and put foam netting around the fruit that I want for myself. For some reason birds have not evolved to get to citrus fruits or maybe they don’t like it. Otherwise they eat everything else : It’s just relaxing for me to see the birds on the trees ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/7 "2020-06-26T21:29:53Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I’m thinking about putting up bird attractants by my vegetable garden (bird bath, bird feeder, etc.) Are there any significant pros or cons to doing this There are both. Birds will eat a lot of insects, grubs, etc. that might damage your garden. Birds will also sometimes eat your crops. This can depend on what you’re growing, what kind of birds they are, and the time of year. (Or, I realize, kinda what Broomstick said.) ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/8 "2020-06-27T05:54:45Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > For some reason birds have not evolved to get to citrus fruits or maybe they don’t like it. Hope green parrots aren’t in your neighborhood. They’re smart, have scouts looking for fruit trees, and gang up to strip all the fruit. Six of them found our Big Island orange tree (don’t know the official name) and would strip 30-40 oranges a day. In two weeks; nothing left on the tree. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/9 "2020-06-27T08:55:01Z")
I employ a scarecrow. I still lose a significant amount of tomatoes. They peck little holes in them thereby ruining it. My strawberries have a homemade wired frame over a raised bed. No loss from birds. Some birds are jerks. I provide food in feeders well away from the garden. You’d think they rather have that. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/10 "2020-06-27T16:18:42Z")
In my recent experience, birds need no encouragement to come and eat my crops, so I don’t see how “attractants” would make much of a difference. If they are hungry and they like what you are growing, I think they’re going to find your vegetables. (I should add that a month of dry weather here made birds an unusually bad problem this year. Blackbirds turned all the beds over, then pigeons ate EVERYTHING.) j ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-good-idea-to-have-birds-around-my-vegetable-garden/913251/11 "2020-06-27T16:40:51Z")
What Treppenwitz said. Never heard of the need to attract birds, they’re pretty good at finding gardens.