Wild birds provide us with an enjoyable natural spectacle, and feeding them in our backyards is a popular pastime. However, providing human foods to wild animals raises ethical considerations that need to be considered when doing this.
Researchers have observed that human-supplied seeds can increase population surges of rodents and foxes, increasing nest predation and altering wild animal communities in unexpected or unpredictable ways.
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Sunflower Seed
Sunflower seeds provide birds with all of the fat and protein nutrients they require for healthy body composition during winter months, particularly.
Birds also enjoy the health-beneficial properties of polyphenol compounds found in sunflower seeds, which act as antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and decrease inflammation in their bodies.
Sunflower seed offers another advantage to birds: it is easier for them to digest than other seeds, saving precious energy as birds must eat quickly to conserve energy for flight.
Nyjer Seed
Nyjer seed is a high-oil, nutritious energy source for birds that they often devour. It comes from African yellow daisy plants (Guizotia abyssinica).
Finch mixes and canary bird seed blends often include seeds as an important food source for American Goldfinches as well as Indigo Buntings, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins.
Nyjer seed can quickly become mouldy, so it should be changed every 3-4 weeks. To keep this seed fresh and safe from spillage or spoilage, special feeders with small ports that release it without clogging are recommended; choose either sock-style feeders or ones designed with non-clog ports to allow seed release without spillage.
Peanuts
Peanuts, which belong to the legume family, make an irresistibly tasty treat for many birds. Their high concentration of fat and protein provides energy necessary for survival during colder temperatures.
Shelled peanuts offer birds an irresistibly creamy texture and taste they will enjoy, making them an excellent complement to other wild bird foods like suet, corn and millet.
Peanuts are harvested by lifting and turning over the plant, then slowly drying for three or four days until two-thirds of their moisture has been lost to prevent mould contamination of their harvest. This method allows peanuts to reach peak harvest and remain free from mold contamination.
Peanut Hearts
Peanuts provide natural energy food to many species of birds during cold months. Peanuts’ high-fat content serves as an energy source and keeps their bodies warm while providing vital calorie consumption for birds in need of warmth.
Peanuts are a delectable source of wildlife food and often attract all sorts of backyard birds to feeders for this delectable snack. Blue jays, Scrub jays, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers alike flock to feeders looking for this tasty treat made up of bits and pieces of peanuts.
Use a hopper, tube, platform or window feeder to distribute peanut hearts for easier cracking by small beaks.
Cracked Corn
Cracked corn makes an excellent bird food that can be added to a range of wild bird seed mixes, offering cheaper alternative than other birdseed and helping attract large game and sparrow species.
Cracked corn-containing seed mixes may seem like the ideal option, but it often contains filler seeds like milo or wheat which will likely go uneaten by most birds in your garden.
Cracked corn can be an ideal wild bird food to include in your seed mix to attract ground feeders such as blue jays and doves that prefer them over hanging feeders. Plus, its crackle helps deter squirrels and other wildlife from feasting upon your regular bird feeders!
Suet Cakes
Suet is an energy-rich source of protein and fat for birds during migration or nesting season, providing much-needed sustenance that attracts species that might otherwise pass by without stopping to dine at feeders. Suet attracts an assortment of rarer bird species.
Suet can be purchased in several forms, including cakes that are approximately 1.5″ squares with rounded-off corners that fit securely into cage-style feeders, balls or plugs that fit log-shaped feeders for woodpeckers and nuthatches, and even plugs made especially to fit log feeders for woodpeckers and nuthatches.
White Proso Millet
Nature’s wild bird food is a delicious and healthy diet of vegetable shortening, nuts, seeds, fruit, oats, cornmeal and other plant-based ingredients. Suet for birds comes in cake shapes, balls and plugs that are often displayed in specially designed feeders.
White proso millet is an excellent food source for birds that feed on the ground, such as quail and juncos. This versatile grain can be grown as part of your wild birdseed garden or used as part of a custom seed mix recipe.
