Birds need a wide range of foods to survive the year, including black-oil sunflower seeds, nyjer and peanuts as well as berry and insect suet.
Consider offering a mix of seeds, grains and fruit as they could all pose potential choking hazards: whole peanuts can be difficult for birds to process while bread may get stuck in their throats.
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Sunflower Seed
Sunflower seeds are an easy, affordable way to provide backyard birds with food they crave – they draw cardinals, wrens, nuthatches, finches and woodpeckers to the backyard feeder! Available both individually or mixed into bags of other seeds blends.
Pigeons provide their bodies with plenty of protein for strong feathers and beaks, carbohydrates for energy, vitamin E, folate, phosphorus, copper manganese selenium.
Black oil sunflower seeds offer smaller shells that make them easier for all seed-eating birds to crack open, making them a popular choice at both hardware stores and bird feeding specialty shops, or online.
Safflower Seed
Safflower seeds are beloved snacks of cardinals, grosbeaks, chickadees, doves and native sparrows alike. Unfortunately for squirrels and grackles however, these seeds often present difficulty to crack open compared to sunflower seeds.
Safflower seed can be offered through various feeders such as trays, tube feeders and hoppers. You may also choose to scatter it directly on the ground, to attract mourning doves and other ground-feeding birds.
Nyjer Seed
Nyjer Seed (Guizotia abyssinica), beloved among finches and other small songbirds with shorter beaks, does not belong to the thistle plant family but does contain hardened shells that must be cracked open by birds in order to access its inner “meat”.
Heat sterilization of this feed before its arrival to the United States prevents harmful weed seeds from germinating and seeding gardens and fields with seeds of their own. You can buy it as individual bags or special finch feeders known as tube feeders or finch socks.
Peanuts
Peanuts belong to the Leguminosae family of legumes and, like its relatives, contain symbiotic bacteria which fix nitrogen into its roots – this not only aids the soil but reduces fertilizer costs significantly!
Birds such as chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice and wrens often take pleasure in snacking on peanut hearts in their shell. Jays, sparrows and finches also enjoy these treats!
Avoid placing whole peanuts and salty food at your feeders as these could easily choke young birds. Furthermore, do not leave out anything which might swell up when wet – such as peanuts!
Fruits
Fresh fruit provides birds with a nutritious and delectable treat that can supplement their diets. Apples are an ideal treat, while strawberries and bananas also make delicious choices.
Grapes are beloved snacks of orioles and other colorful birds, yet should only be fed in moderation due to their high sugar content.
Oranges can also make for attractive ornamental birdseed offerings; you can hang them from trees or hang an oriole feeder containing orange slices to provide vitamin C and potassium-rich nourishment to birds.
Seed Mixes
Seed mixes are an attractive option for feeders as they contain a wide range of seeds to attract different species. But be wary of cheap mixes containing excessive milo (sorghum), oats or wheat as these filler seeds may end up as weed seeds in your yard or garden.
Look for a nut blend that attracts woodpeckers and other birds that feed on nuts. A deluxe combination may feature black oil sunflower, white proso millet, safflower seeds and striped sunflower seeds to attract woodpeckers and other birds that snack on nuts.
Suet
Winter temperatures call for high-fat, high-calorie food sources that help birds maintain their body temperatures. Suet (hard fat from beef kidneys) is a favorite among woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches alike; you can purchase either blocks of suet or netted suet balls to meet this need.
Avoid feeding birds bread and other junk foods that provide no nutritional benefit and could contribute to obesity and intestinal issues. Salt should also be avoided since this can disrupt their electrolyte and fluid balance and result in dehydration or even death of their bird.
Insects
Birds with long legs require protein sources that insects provide. Students can collect insects such as flies, lady bugs, mosquitoes, aphids, beetles, dragonflies, and praying mantises to observe their unique body structures and ways they feed on protein.
Food scraps from your kitchen can attract many species of birds. Bread, other baked goods, stale rice grains, unsalted boiled peanuts (be sure to leave off salt to prevent fungus mold poisoning young chicks), uncooked and unsalted cheese are all appropriate items to attract birds.
Water
Water is an essential element of a bird’s diet, providing energy, regulating body temperature and aiding digestion of food. Weak or injured birds should be given small sips with a dropper or syringe and allowed to drink naturally.
Water sources are of critical importance to wildlife. Just make sure they remain clean and fresh; dirty water can spread disease and parasites that could threaten their wellbeing.
