Eating Suet is for the birds!

Suet, as a matter of Fat!

If you are an avid bird feeder, you may have heard that bird suet is made from fat — as a matter of fact it is often rendered animal fat. If a bird was a human, that wouldn’t exactly qualify for healthy eating – as we have been told to lighten up on fat in our diets.

That’s not the same for wild birds, especially in the winter and summer months. Fat plays an especially important role in both human and avian diets.

Along with protein and carbohydrates, fat is one of the three dietary sources of energy. Energy is calories, of course. So suet feed is a good source of energy.

Fats are concentrated forms of energy and, per unit weight, provide more than twice the caloric energy as protein or carbohydrates of equivalent weight.

Did you know that birds have an accelerated metabolism? (wish that I did, but alas that is not the case). Think about it – they fly through the air, suspending their entire body weight while doing it. I know that they aren’t the average weight of you or I, but that still takes alot of energy. Fat energy helps them sustain activity levels longer between meals.

Enter: Suet. A nutritiously (for birds) food that can attract them to your yard.