Choosing the Right Seed
There are several types of wild bird seed available today that will attract a variety of birds to your backyard. Use the chart at the bottom of this page to determine the types of birds you can attract to your feeders.
Types Of Bird Seed
Black-Oil Sunflower Seed
The #1 choice to feed and attract the greatest variety of birds to your feeders. Rich in oil, black oil sunflower seeds give birds the energy they need to live. The thin shell makes it an easy bird seed to open, even for the smaller birds. Offer this type of food in Hopper or Tube type bird feeder. You’ll attract Cardinals, Nuthatches, finches, and a variety of others. If you are going to offer only one type, give black oil sunflower seed a try.
Hulled Sunflower Seed
This is the same sunflower seed except that the shell has been removed. Because it is more expensive, offer it in a squirrel proof type feeder. The nice thing about offering sunflower hearts and chips is that there is no mess, since all of the bird seed will be eaten. You’ll attract the same birds without the mess.Nyjer – Thistle Seed
Thistle or more accurately, Nyjer seed, is a finch favorite. A specialty food loved by Goldfinches, Purple Finches and even Mourning Doves. This tiny black seed from India and Africa is available at most places that offer wild bird food. Finches are attracted more to the nyjer than sunflower seed. Pine Siskins also like nyjer seed. A special feeder with small ports will be needed when offering this seed.
Striped Sunflower
While most birds prefer black oil sunflower to striped sunflower seed, it still remains an alternative. Try placing some on a platform feeder to prevent squirrels and raccoons from raiding your feeders. Place it away from your other feeders. The shell is harder than black oil sunflower seed making it more difficult for small birds to open. Still, Bluejays, Cardinals, and some Woodpeckers will make use of striped sunflower.
Cracked or Whole Kernel Corn
Corn will attract Eastern Bluebirds, Jays, Pheasants, and other game birds. By offering cracked corn throughout the year, you’ll be able to watch birds that normally don’t visit your other feeders. It is best to place cracked corn on platform feeders or scattered on the ground for game birds. Other animals are likely to be attracted to cracked corn also.
Premium Mixes
These are packages of a mixture of bird seeds that are attractive to a variety of birds. Generally consisting of black oil sunflower, peanut, millet, striped sunflower, and others mixed together.
Any desirable birds that feed on these types of bird seed, will readily come to eat at any of the other types you place in your yard. Most of the cheaper mixes are derivatives of the poultry industry. And as such, are not suited for bird watching enthusiast.
Suet
While not a bird seed, so many birds are attracted to suet. Suet is made from beef fat. Most bird watching stores offer suet with bird seed, berries, and peanut butter mixed in with the suet.
Some of the birds that enjoy suet are: Black Capped Chickadees, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Wrens. Offer suet in a suet feeder, a special wire cage made to hold suet.
Once you decide which birds you want to attract, you’ll find the Bird Seed here.
CHART FOR FEEDING BIRDS
Type of Bird |
Food Preference |
| Blue Jays | Sunflower seed, safflower, cracked corn, peanuts, suet, bread, peanut butter, lard mixes, seed mixes |
| House Finch | Mixed seed, peanuts, fruit, suet, niger, sunflower, safflower, thistle |
| Gold Finch | Thistle/nyger, sunflower seed, hulled sunflower, millet, fruit, suet, peanuts |
| House Wren | Suet, bread crumbs |
| House Sparrow | Mixed seed, sunflower seeds |
| Wrens | Suet, suet mix, peanut butter, bread, apples |
| Indigo Bunting | Peanuts, millet, variety of seeds |
| Northern Flicker | Suet, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, fruit, meat, bread |
| Oriole | Oranges, apples, grape jelly, oriole jelly, sugar water, soft raisins |
| Painted Bunting | Sunflower seeds, seed mixes |
| Pine Grosbeak | Sunflower seeds, grain |
| Pine Siskin | Nuts, rolled oats, thistle, mixed seeds, sunflower seeds, sunflower chips, millet, suet |
| Purple Finch | Sunflower seeds, thistle |
| Red Crossbills | Sunflower seeds, thistle |
| Red Poll | Suet, bread, sunflower seeds |
| Red Winged Blackbird | Bread, cracked corn, mixed seeds, sunflower seeds, sunflower chips, millet, suet |
| Robins, Bluebirds, Thrushes | Apples, sunflower seed, bread, grapes, suet, mealworms, berries, raisins, nut meal, seed mixes |
| Rose Breasted Grosbeaks | Sunflower seeds, grapes, orange halves |
| American Gold Finch | Sunflower seeds, thistle/niger |
| Black Billed Magpie | Meat, bread |
| Bobwhite Quail | Sunflower seeds, seed mixes |
| Brown Headed Cowbird | Bread, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, seed mixes |
| Bushtit | Bread, sunflower seeds, bird seed mixes |
| Cardinals | Cracked corn, nuts, sunflower seeds, safflower, millet, peanuts, apple, bread |
| Black Capped Chickadees | Sunflower seeds, peanuts, bread, suet |
| Crows | Bread, scraps, corn, suet |
| Magpies | Scraps, suet, peanuts, bread |
| Downy Woodpeckers | Sunflower seeds, corn, cornbread, peanut butter, suet, shelled peanuts, sunflower seeds |
| Grosbeaks | Sunflower seeds, safflower, apple, fruit, suet, millet, bread, peanut kernels |
| Buntings | Sunflower seeds, safflower, apple, fruit, suet, millet, bread, peanut kernels |
| Grackles | Sunflower seeds, bread, scraps |
| Titmouse | Sunflower seeds, suet, bread, safflower, peanuts, peanut kernel |
| Chickadees | Peanut kernel, sunflower seeds, suet, bread, safflower |
| Nuthatches | Suet, suet mix, sunflower seeds, nuts, cracked corn, bread |
| Creepers | Suet, suet mix, sunflower seeds, nuts, cracked corn, bread |
| Mockingbirds | Halved apples, fruit, bread, suet, sunflower seeds, nuts |
| Thrashers | Halved apples, fruit, bread, suet, sunflower seeds, nuts |
| Flycatchers, Phoebes | Bees, wasps, ants, mealworms |
| Kinglets | Suet, bread |
| Waxwings | Berries, raisins, sliced apple, canned peas, currants, grapes |
| Warblers | Suet, suet mix, water, fruit, breads, sugar water, nut pieces |
| Tanagers | Suet, fruit, sugar water, mealworms, bread |
| Song Sparrows | Sunflower seeds, seed mixes, bread, thistle, millet |
| Starlings | Bread, scraps, suet |
| Stellers Jays | Nuts, scraps, suet |
| Tree Sparrows | Wild bird seed mixes, millet |
| Sparrows | Millet, peanut kernels, suet, bread, canary seed, sunflower seed |
| White Breasted Nuthatches | Peanuts, sunflower seeds, suet, safflower |
| Hairy Woodpeckers | Sunflower seeds, nuts, cheese, apples, bananas, suet, peanut butter |
| Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers | Nutmeats, suet, fruit |
| Quail | Cracked corn, millet, berries |
| Pigeons | Cracked corn, sunflower seeds, milo, bread, thistle, nuts |
| Doves | Cracked corn, sunflower seeds, milo, bread, thistle, nuts |
| Roadrunners | Meat scraps, suet |
| Hummingbirds | Plant nectars, small insects, sugar water, instant nectars |
| Woodpeckers | Insects, fruit, sunflower seeds, suet, nuts, sugar water |
| Western Tanagers, Scarlet Tanagers | Orange halves, grapes |
| Juncos | Millet, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, peanuts, bread, nut meats, thistle, suet |
| Towhees | Millet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, grapes, cracked corn, suet |
| Rufhouse Sided Towhee | Bird seed mixes, thistle, sunflower seeds, millet, cracked corn |
| Baltimore Oriole | Suet, orange halves |
| Brown Thrashers | Orange halves, cracked corn |
| Carolina Wrens | Suet, sunflower chips |
| Cat Birds | Raisins, grapes, orange halves, suet |
| Mourning Dove | Millet, thistle, sunflower chips, safflower, cracked corn |
| Pileated Woodpeckers | Suet |
| Red Bellied Woodpeckers | Suet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, orange halves, safflower, cracked corn |
When choosing wild bird seed to place in your bird feeding station, determine the types of birds you want to attract. Try to set out several varieties of seed and be sure to include a source of water both in summer and winter.
Someone I work with visits your site quite often and recommended it to me to read too. The content is interesting. Thanks for the insight you provide the readers!
Wow, awesome web log layout! How long have you been blogging for? You make blogging look simple. The entire look of your website is amazing, let alone the content!
Such a pleasent to read this great blog, Thanks Weldon G
I wish to show my gratitude for your kindness giving support to visitors who require help on this niche. Your personal dedication to getting the message along had been certainly functional and have without exception made many people like me to attain their ambitions. Your new informative hints and tips implies a lot to me and extremely more to my colleagues. Regards; from all of us.
… [Trackback]…
[…] Read More Infos here: backyardnaturalist.ca/?p=670 […]…