How do live mealworms compare to dried mealworms for attracting cardinals?

Answer

Live mealworms often prove more irresistible by mimicking the movement of live prey.

While dried mealworms are convenient and readily accepted, live mealworms frequently elicit a stronger foraging response because their movement successfully mimics the action of live prey. This naturalistic movement may trigger a stronger innate foraging drive in the cardinal, making live offerings particularly useful when attempting to quickly establish a new feeder location as a reliable food source.

How do live mealworms compare to dried mealworms for attracting cardinals?

#Videos

Cardinal and Oriole Feeding on Mealworms - YouTube

dietbirdwormbugCardinal