9 Bird Foods every Backyard Needs

No matter where I go target, walmart..I see bags of bird seed for my wild bird feeders. So I decided it was time to do a little research to see if I have been buying the right Bird Seed. I am sure you get confused by all the choices like I do.

Bird Seed Preferences

1. Sunflower Seed
   
   
   
   • black oil seed is preferred
     
   • striped seed is a favorite of large beak birds
     
   • hulled seed is the favorite of greatest number of birds
     
   • considered by most #1 choice for your backyard birds
     
   • higher percentage of meat, nutritious source of high quality protein
     
   • softer outer shell makes it easy for smaller birds
     
   • boasts a high concentration of oil. Birds will spread the oil over their feathers to keep them buoyant, dry and warm.
   
   Birds that like black oil sunflower: blackbirds, buntings, northern cardinals, black capped chickadees, mourning dove, finches, goldfinches, grackles, grosbeaks, pine grosbeaks, juncos, nuthatches, redpoll, sapsucker, siskins, sparrows, tanagers, titmice, towhees, wrens and woodpeckers. Birds that like striped sunflower: northern cardinals, grosbeaks,blue jays, nuthatches,titmice, woodpeckers


2. White Proso Millet
   
   
   
   • White millet is the favorite food of most small-beaked ground-feeding birds
   • least expensive bird seed but may be difficult to find
   • scatter it on the ground
   • outer shell of white proso millet is easily opened by birds with small beaks but is hard enough to protect it from the weather
   
   Millet is a favorite of buntings, doves, juncos, native sparrows, tanagers, towhees, quail, and bobwhite. Birds that prefer sunflower will eat this as their second choice.


3. Medium Cracked Corn
   
   
   
   • is about as popular with ground-feeding birds as millet, but it is vulnerable to rot
   • avoid fine because will turn to mush and coarse because it is too large for small beaked birds
   • good source of both oil and starch
   • can be used to tempt larger birds away from more expensive seeds
   • Feed small amounts, mixed with millet, on feeding tables or from watertight hopper feeders
   
   Birds that like cracked corn: painted buntings, crows, jays, juncos, mourning doves, quail, pheasants, sparrows, and towhees


4. Nyjer Seed
   
   
   • high in calories and oil content
   • most popular seeds to feed goldfinches
   • so tiny and light you can blow away a handful with a gentle breath
   • Sometimes referred to as "black gold" due to a higher price caused by importing and sterilizing costs
   • should be offered in a specially designed feeder with tiny ports that prevent spillage. Feeders with ports located below the perches - known as "upside-down feeders" - are a good investment. Goldfinches and pine siskins are quite acrobatic and don't seem to mind hanging upside-down to feed.
   • Contrary to its popular nickname, nyjer is not a thistle. It will not germinate and invade backyards and gardens.
   
   Birds that like Nyjer: chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, grosbeaks, juncos, mourning doves, redpolls, siskens, and sparrows


5. Suet and bird puddings(beef fat and seed)
   
   
   
   • solid fat rendered from beef and venison combined with other ingredients
   • attracts insect-eating birds
   • quick source of heat and energy for birds
   • Place the suet in special feeders at least five feet from the ground to keep it out of the reach of dogs
   • Suet cakes come in many pure suet, suet-peanut butter blends and suet mixed with a variety of seeds and nuts
   • No winter feeding station is complete without a suet feeder
   • Do not put out during hot weather as it can turn rancid
   
   Suet attracts: Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, Gray Catbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Chickadees, Finches, Northern Flicker, American Goldfinch, Grackles, Grosbeaks, Juncos, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, Mockingbird, Nuthatches, Orioles, Redpolls, American Robins, Sapsuckers, Pine Siskins, Sparrows, Starlings, Tanagers, Titmouse, Thrushes, Towhees, Wrens, and Woodpeckers.


6. Peanuts
   
   
   • out of the shell and usually roasted but not salted.
   • best in wire mesh tube feeders, mesh bags, or hopper and platform feeders
   • high-protein boost to winter-weary birds and help insect eaters
   • squirrels and chipmunks love nuts, too, so nut feeders must be as squirrel-resistant as possible
   • Peanut hearts -are overrated as bird food and often attract starlings
   • Offer only as many as the birds will eat in a few days in warmer weather
   • Build your own wild bird feeder for unshelled peanuts see here
   
   Birds that like peanuts: Cardinals, Chickadees, Doves , Finches, Grackles, Jays, Juncos, Starlings, and Titmouses.


7. Live Food
   
   
   • Mealworms (beetle larva) and wax worms (bee moth larva)
   • a real treat to most birds during winter
   • High in protein
   • they are not slimy, they don't bite, they are easy to store and easy to feed from a tray feeder
   • bluebirds and robins, which rarely visit feeders, enjoy live food.
     
     
   Birds that love live food: blue jays, bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, purple martins, robins, sparrows, titmice, woodpeckers, wrens


8. Safflower
   
   
   • white seed, slightly smaller than black sunflower seed
   • an oil seed that makes a fine minor ingredient in a quality seed
   • great thing about safflower seeds is that squirrels don't like them. Neither do grackles, blue jays, or starlings
   • not many birds actually attracted to this seed, but the absence of less desirable birds at feeders offering safflower that makes it so popular
   
   Birds attracted to safflower: cardinals, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and grosbeaks


9. Fruit
   
   
   • a summer food but across the sunbelt and on warm winter days in the north you will find birds attracting to fruit
   • Raisins, craisins, sliced apples and oranges and bananas
   • Scatter on an open tray or impale on small brances or nails
   • Attracting fruit-eating birds can take time and patience
   
   Birds attracted to Fruit: woopdpeckers, jays, robins, bluebirds, catbirds, orioles and mockingbirds

If you want to know by bird their Favorite food.. go to Birds Preferred Food

I have gotten most of my information from the following sources: Selecting Seeds , Bird Seed Preferences of Common Feeder Birds, ,Wild Bird Seed Preferences, Winter bird Feeding , Top 10 Wild Bird Foods

Dont forget to check out my website for many things for your backyard. Spring is around the corner!Wooden Outdoor furniture, Outdoor bench, Decorative Birdhouses, Wild bird feeders, garden birdbaths, tuned windchimes, Poly Recyled Furniture, Outdoor Lanterns, Garden Water Fountains, and much more.

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Peanut Feeder for Birds