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May I interest you in a fine selection of fruit and nuts? Choosing the right feed to serve your backyard bird feeders may seem daunting. This helpful introduction to bird feed is a second in a four-part series on backyard birds.
Over the past 25 years, as the love of gardening has grown, so has the love of backyard bird watching. The wide selection of bird feeding products and supplies on the market prove more nature lovers and gardeners than ever are feeding birds every year. Choosing the right feeder sometimes involves knowing what type of seed you want to offer. But what kind of seed should you buy? Varieties are numerous and each type of seed has its advantages and disadvantages. Before you choose a feeder and seed, you'll want to learn what birds in your area you are likely to attract. Bird-watching friends will tell you with great enthusiasm about local bird sightings. Several surveys are available each year where citizen scientists record bird sightings. Project FeederWatch examines the North American winter birds from November to April. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) enlists citizen scientists to spend a weekend counting birds in their area. The results of both of these surveys are available for viewing on the website by species or location. Reviewing local results is a great way to see what birds are in your area.
What do birds eat? Backyard birds eat mostly seeds but many are also fruit and/or insect eaters. Here's a basic look at types of foods you may offer your feathered friends.
Seeds and Grains
Sunflower Seeds — These seeds come from differing sunflowers. They generally can be found in two types: black oil and stripe. The black oil sunflower seeds (or BOSS) are more popular with birds because of their thin shells and higher oil content. Striped sunflower seeds are ideal for larger birds with stronger bills to crack the hard shells. Shelled sunflower seeds eliminate the mess of discarded hulls while hearts and chips are often available for smaller songbirds. Many premium mixes contain these bits of seed. If you buy only ONE type of seed, let it be this one. You won't be disappointed.
Safflower — This white seed is prized because squirrels, grackles and starlings reportedly don't like it. It is also a high-energy seed that attracts desirable songbirds like cardinals, nuthatches, grosbeaks, finches and titmice.
Nyjer — A favorite of gold finches, nyjer is the very small black seed of the nyjer plant cultivated in Asia and Africa. It is another seed prized for its high calorie and oil content. The small seed size makes it necessary to use a special feeder for this seed. Finches favor this seed in tube feeders or socks and ground feeding birds like dark-eyed juncos and doves forage for seed on the ground. Because it is an import, it is an expensive seed for purchase in the United States. Don't count on growing your own as it is heat-sterilized before packaging, a condition of import. This seed is also known as thistle, though it is not a thistle or member of the thistle family.
Millet (white and red) — Although millet can be a term for a group of cereal grains, most millet on the market is proso millet. Proso millet comes in red and white varieties and is often found in seed mixes on retail shelves. It is difficult to find sold alone so you'll need to try online sources or specialty feed stores to obtain it. Birds that prefer millet are ground-feeding species such as sparrow, dove, cardinal, pheasant, quail and more.
Peanuts and Tree Nuts — Nuts are high in protein and fat, and are valued by a number of backyard birds. It is important to note that all nuts fed to birds must be unsalted. Offer whole peanuts to jays, nuthatches and other birds bold enough to crack the shell. When you see a bird fly off with a whole peanut, you'll understand why they are tops on the entertainment scale. Shelled peanuts also attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and house sparrows to name a few. Peanuts and other nuts are susceptible to mold and may turn rancid in the summer. Only distribute as many as the birds will eat in a few days.
Milo — Milo is a sorghum grain that looks a great deal like red millet. It is a cheaper seed but not as palatable to birds and therefore often considered a waste seed in the Eastern half of the country. If you live in the Western United States, you'll find sparrows, doves, towhees, pheasant and quail favor milo.
Corn — Cracked corn is a cheaper feed and appealing to ground feeding birds. If you wish to discourage blackbirds and doves, don't distribute corn at your feeding stations. If you are trying to attract doves, quail and sparrows, scatter cracked corn on the ground. Ducks and wild turkey will love whole shelled corn (as will the squirrels).
Canary Grass — You will find canary grass seed in many of the mixes for finches and siskins. A good source of protein, this seed is often fed to small domestic birds as well.
Black and Red Rapeseed/Canola — This round black seed of the Brassica genus family is often found in mixes. It is another seed high in oil and is favored by chickadees, nuthatches and finches.
Mixes — There are a number of different bagged seed mixes widely available for specific birds. If you are lucky enough to live near a feed store or specialty bird store, you might be able to buy in bulk and create your own mixes suitable for the exact types of birds in your garden. Mixes may contain dried fruits and nuts, as well as seed. Many blends also add chili powder to deter squirrels. For a great discussion of seed mixes, visit this thread on the Dave's Garden Bird Watching Forum (available to both members and subscribers).
Hemp — The industrial hemp seed is actually a nut that is high in fat and are incredibly attractive to birds. Like Nyjer, hemp seeds are heat sterilized or steamed to prevent sprouting. Similar to nuts, the high oil content means that seeds can go rancid quickly. Industrial hemp seed is legal in the United States and is not to be confused with its cousin, marijuana.
Buckwheat, Wheat, Alfalfa and Oats — Not generally a choice for songbirds, these grains are common feed for game birds such as quail, pheasants, doves and pigeons.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
Safflower Seed
Nyjer Seed
Shelled Peanuts
Corn
Finch Mix
Hulled Sunflower Seeds
White Millet
Red Millet
Peanuts in the Shell
Canary Grass
Woodpecker, Chickadee & Nuthatch Mix
Insect Eaters
Mealworms — Insect eaters supplement their diet with mealworms in the winter months when food is scarce. Bluebirds love mealworms; adults gobble them up readily and will feed them to older babies in breeding season. Bluebirds aren't the only birds who enjoy these insects. Robins, mockingbirds and wrens will help themselves too, devouring the mealies in no time. If you are interested in feeding bluebirds only, consider a caged feeder that will limit entry to smaller birds. Mealworms can be purchased live, canned or dried. Live mealworms are available at pet stores and through mail-order/online suppliers.
Fruit and Nectar Eaters
Dried Fruit — Dried fruit such as raisins and cranberries are good choices for berry-eating birds. Soak them overnight or use them dried in dish or platform feeders. You'll often find these in premium seed mixes at well-supplied stores.
Fresh Fruit — Fresh oranges, grapes and apples are summer favorites of orioles, tanagers, woodpeckers, robins and waxwings to name a few. When the temperature drops, don't let that stop you from putting out fresh fruit.
Nectar — Hummingbirds are by far the most well known nectar eaters. It's not uncommon for orioles to try and sip from hummingbird feeders or their own version of the feeder. Other songbirds and woodpeckers may also be seen at the sugar water feeders.
Other Food Needs
Suet — Made at home or store-purchased, suet is great source of fat for nearly all birds. It is an important staple in the winter because it is a source of heat and energy. Suet can be as simple as animal fat hung in mesh bags or a tasty recipe mix of seed, fruits, animal fat and peanut butter. In summer months, birds may enjoy a number of no-melt suet products on the market today.
Grit — Since birds don't have teeth to chew, they use their gizzards to assist in grinding whole or harder seeds. This is where grit (small bits of sand, pebbles or shells) comes into the picture. Birds swallow grit into their gizzard where it grinds the whole seeds. You may make grit for birds with eggshells by following strict procedures found at the Cornell website.
Landscape Plants
One of the best ways to attract birds to your yard is to plant items with birds in mind. Bushes with berries, trees for cover plants that produce their own seed are ideal. Instead of deadheading, plan on leaving seed on many of your flowers. Plant a row of sunflowers for a fun late-summer show from goldfinch, chickadees and cardinals.
Popular Landscape Plants Used by Many Birds
Alder American elderberry American larch American mountain ash Arborvitae Ash, white and green Barberry Bayberry Beautyberry Beech Birch: paper, yellow, river Bittersweet Black cherry Black gum (tupelo) Blackberry and raspberries Blueberry Bluestem California live oak California wax myrtle Chokecherry Cotoneaster Crab apple Currants (gooseberries)
Dogwoods: pagoda, red-osier, silky, gray Eastern red cedar Elm Firethorn Greenbriar Hackberry Hawthorns Hemlock Holly Honeysuckle Huckleberry Japanese yew Mahonia Manzanita Maple Mesquite Mulberry Oak Persimmon Pine Pokeberry Poplar
For a great discussion on landscape plants for birds, visit this thread on the Bird Watching Forum.
What's on the Menu[1]
When determining what food you'd like to offer, consider what birds you'd like to attract. To assist you, here's a short list of birds and what they eat. Click to make this chart larger.
Supplementing wild food sources with purchased bird feed is a great way to bring the action close for your enjoyment. Before purchasing seed, determine what birds you are likely to entice. What obstacles might be in your way? For instance, if you live in an apartment or town home, your neighbors might not appreciate the mess that sunflower hulls leave. In this case, a no-waste mix or sunflower kernels are best. For those living in heavily wooded areas that are likely to see many woodpeckers, suet and nuts are in order! Wherever you live, know that the bird feeding business is thriving and you have many choices available. Remember that once you begin to feed birds, you should continue through the cold months, as birds come to rely on your feeding station. Consider feeding throughout the year to see migratory birds you otherwise might not encounter. Most of all, enjoy the nature center you have brought to your backyard with your bird buffet.
Special thanks to "dellrose" and "grasmussen" for use of their lovely bird photos.
About Marna Towne
I am one of those fortunate individuals who grew up on rural land that has been in my family for decades. My parents and grandparents were avid gardeners who gladly shared their love of gardening with me. Today I enjoy a small yard in town with my husband, two dogs and a cat who is in charge of us all.
Posted by 85Tate (from Quincy, MA) on December 13, 2008 at 12:21 AM:
Great well thought article!! thank you!!
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 13, 2008 at 09:45 AM:
You are quite welcome!
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Subject: Black Bears
Posted by lbat (from Wapwallopen, PA) on December 05, 2008 at 05:26 PM:
To avoid problems with bears, I don't put up my feeders until after Christmas and then take them down in March. I only throw out a cupful of seed on to the patio right now in the morning so that I'm sure that it will be gone in a short period of time. By Christmas most bears have gone into hibernation and it is safe to put feeders up. I don't mind feeding the bears but they destroy the feeders and then become brave looking for more and will try to enter your home. I would love to feed birds year round but I have finally come to terms with our limitations of living in the woods!
Happy feeding. Linda, Hobbie, PA
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 05, 2008 at 05:49 PM:
That's good to know, Linda. I don't have problems with bears in this area of course. Lots of people here have raccoon issues though. In that case, they bring feeders in every night and return them in the morning.
Glad to hear you have come to terms with woodsy limitations. The good news is that you get many more types of birds than I do in town!
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Subject: Great Article!
Posted by pelletory (from Marlton, NJ) on December 01, 2008 at 08:45 AM:
Wonderful job on the article Marna!
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 09:07 AM:
Thank you pelletory!
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Posted by dellrose (from Conway, MO) on December 01, 2008 at 12:27 PM:
Another great article Marna...well written and very informative. Many thanks!
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 12:40 PM:
You are welcome. Thanks for providing great pictures!
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Posted by beclu727 (from Dacula, GA) on December 01, 2008 at 05:50 PM:
Loved the article. Especially the description of the various seeds. I now know I can put some nyjer on the ground for the ground feeders. And I will be trying some safflower seed. Thanks.
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 05:52 PM:
You are most welcome!
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Posted by Soulja (from Louisville, KY) on December 13, 2008 at 01:12 PM:
Newbie Birder says THANK YOU!!! I needed every bit of this information. Very well done on presentation, content and inspiration to love the birds.
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 13, 2008 at 01:15 PM:
you are most welcome! ENJOY!
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Subject: feeding birds
Posted by lindachip (from Palm Bay, FL) on December 01, 2008 at 08:11 AM:
it is such a joy to see birds in your backyard and this article helps to decide
the types of food to use to attract them. great article.
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 09:08 AM:
Thanks Linda! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying birds down in Florida!
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Subject: Excellent!
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on December 01, 2008 at 01:22 AM:
We feed black oil sunflower seeds and suet all year-round...in fact, I'll bet we have the only driveway that's 'paved' with sunflower seed hulls. LOL Thanks for all the info on who eats what, and for all the links!
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 09:09 AM:
You are welcome! I like the look of my sunflower "mulch" too!
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Posted by serenity93 (from Moncks Corner, SC) on December 01, 2008 at 11:02 AM:
This must be one of the most informative articles I've read! Thank you so very much for sharing this invaluable information. :)
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 11:14 AM:
You are welcome serenity. Be sure to visit the Bird Watching forum where you can learn so much more. In fact, this week there was a good discussion on Safflower and Squirrels. Lots of people have squirrels that adjust to the taste of safflower if there are no other choices around. Mine have a daily allowance of sunflower seeds and corn so they seem happy to leave the safflower alone.
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Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on December 01, 2008 at 02:21 PM:
Nice job Marna, a ton of information!
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Posted by darius (from So.Appalachian Mtns, VA) on December 01, 2008 at 07:03 PM:
Great article today, Marna!
If I could have thought ahead, I have some shots Floridian and I took of wild scrub jays eating peanuts out of our hands.
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 07:07 PM:
Oh, post it here! Those Jays are amazing. Grasmussen feeds his Stellar Jays peanuts and it's a good way to get pictures. So I started doing it here and it's so fun!
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Posted by darius (from So.Appalachian Mtns, VA) on December 01, 2008 at 07:21 PM:
Ooops, I spoke too soon. They must be on my desktop computer (not plugged in) or I have forgotten what I named the folder.
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Posted by Mrs_Ed (from Whiteside County, IL) on December 01, 2008 at 07:22 PM:
HA! Well I"m sure you'll find it.
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Posted by gabagoo (from Yonkers, NY) on December 01, 2008 at 10:34 PM:
Great article!
Since my yard is totally bricked I use the Patio Mix seed from the Wild Bird Center. Everything gets eaten and I don't have shells to clean up.
I also have nyger, suet & woodpecker blocks.
And peanuts! For the birds & squirrels (yeah... I feed them too! LOL!)
Bonus with the peanuts... the past couple of years I have had peanut plants grow from peanuts buried by my furry friends. They not only produced a nice plant with pretty yellow flowers... I was able to harvest peanuts the following fall!
The blue jays are a riot. And smart as well. I like how they pick up a peanut and seem to weigh it. Put it down and select another.
One time, a jay picked up one, spotted another and took the time to arrange them so they fit together. He was able to fly off with TWO peanuts at once!
Another time he tried the same thing, but couldn't get them to fit just right. He didn't want to take a chance that he'd lose one so he tucked one between two planters, flew off with the other. He came right back and went directly to the spot he hid the other and took off with that as well.
I also make a mixture of unsalted peanut butter, chopped peanuts & corn meal (it helps hold it together). I toss out little balls of it for the squirrels - they'll eat instead of burying .. plus it keeps them busy so they'll ignore the feeders.
I also put some in the suet feeders. The woodpeckers & chickadees love it.
Nyjer — A favorite of gold finches, nyjer is the very small black seed of the 
Mixes — There are a number of different bagged seed mixes widely available for specific birds. If you are lucky enough to live near a feed store or specialty bird store, you might be able to buy in bulk and create your own mixes suitable for the exact types of birds in your garden. Mixes may contain dried fruits and nuts, as well as seed. Many blends also add chili powder to deter squirrels. For a great discussion of seed mixes, visit 
Mealworms — Insect eaters supplement their diet with mealworms in the winter months when food is scarce. Bluebirds love mealworms; adults gobble them up readily and will feed them to older babies in breeding season. Bluebirds aren't the only birds who enjoy these insects. Robins, mockingbirds and wrens will help themselves too, devouring the mealies in no time. If you are interested in feeding bluebirds only, consider a caged feeder that will limit entry to smaller birds. Mealworms can be purchased live, canned or dried. Live mealworms are available at pet stores and through mail-order/online suppliers.
Dried Fruit — Dried fruit such as raisins and cranberries are good choices for berry-eating birds. Soak them overnight or use them dried in dish or platform feeders. You'll often find these in premium seed mixes at well-supplied stores. 
Suet — Made at home or store-purchased, suet is great source of fat for nearly all birds. It is an important staple in the winter because it is a source of heat and energy. Suet can be as simple as animal fat hung in mesh bags or a tasty recipe mix of seed, fruits, animal fat and peanut butter. In summer months, birds may enjoy a number of no-melt suet products on the market today. 
