Which birds are the best insect eaters?

An immature female Purple Martin snags an insect in midair

Different birds have different food needs. But many love eating insects.

Purple Martins, for instance, eat almost nothing but airborne insects. These members of the swallow family nest in houses made of many "apartments." They do their eating on the fly, preferring to feed at insect havens such as ponds and wetlands.

Red-eyed Vireos forage in trees looking for crawling insects and caterpillars.

Chipping Sparrows eat insects on the ground and in shrubs and trees. They also eat seed and will visit feeders.

Downy Woodpeckers love insects, as well as sap, berries, seed and suet.
Yellow Warblers have wonderful songs and a preference for caterpillars. They'll also indulge in moths, mosquitoes and beetles.

Eastern Bluebirds eat a variety of insects but can be tempted to remain in a specific area if fed mealworms. They also eat berries to supplement their diet.

Eastern Bluebird chows down on mealworms

Eastern Phoebes, which are members of the flycatcher family, are frequently found near water. They enjoy many kinds of insects, plus invertebrates, serviceberry fruit, hackberry and the berries of poison ivy and sumac.

Baltimore Orioles are colorful migrants who sometimes are seen in backyards. They eat a variety of insects, including tent worms. You can entice them to your backyard by offering nectar or fruit, especially oranges.

House Wrens are regulars in backyards. They eat mostly insects and spiders, as well as seed. They're not fussy where they nest. They love nest boxes, but they'll even try mailboxes or even pockets of hanging laundry.

A White-breasted Nuthatch seeks grubs on tree

Nuthatches and Brown Creepers climb up and down trees seeking bugs in the bark of the tree.

Song Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows and other native sparrows hop, front, scratch and back up to loosen soil to find insects. They'll also rustle through fallen leaves.

The Common Nighthawk, which actually is not a hawk, consumes a variety of flying insects. They nest on flat areas such as the ground or even industrial rooftops!

One note of caution: Do you have a lawn service that sprays for bugs and grubs? You may cause birds to move on to other areas. They won't stay if there aren't insects available for them to eat. Use restraint with pesticides. Pesticides are generally non-selective and will kill any insect that comes into contact with the chemicals. The pesticides may kill the mites and aphids that are harming your plants, but they'll also kill the butterflies, ladybugs, lightning bugs, praying mantids and damsel flies that form part of the diet of various types of birds. If you have a problem with an insect infestation, try using eco-friendly solutions to deal with the specific problem, rather than kill every insect willy-nilly.