Birds that frequent backyard feeders typically feed on seeds and grains, though their diet also encompasses scraps from kitchen cabinets.
Avoid bread, as it provides minimal nutrition to birds and can grow bacteria and mold. Instead, offer meaty tinned dog or cat food (be sure to break it up and soak), cooked pasta/rice/cereal for your bird(s).
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Nuts
Wild birds enjoy eating nuts, suet and fruit in various forms; particularly nut mixes, suet and sunflower seeds without their coatings are popular with chickadees, Common Redpolls, Dark-eyed Juncos, doves, finches, goldfinches pine siskins and titmice. Striped sunflower seeds may also be offered in specially designed feeders for this variety of seed.
Peanuts provide energy for wild birds such as woodpeckers. Unsalted peanuts may be better since salted varieties could contain harmful aflatoxin toxins that could prove lethal to these wildlife animals.
As well as those food items listed above, other tasty additions include stale bread and other baked goods like biscuits or muffins – especially when used to fill feeders! Mild grated cheese will attract robins and wrens while fresh fruit should not rot – these make ideal choices that attract birds of all kinds!
Fruit
Wild birds enjoy feeding on fruits and vegetables in addition to seeds. Oranges, melons, bananas, old apples and old bananas can be placed at feeders to attract orioles, house finches, chickadees and woodpeckers; bruised bananas and melons attract hummingbirds; peanut butter is another popular energy source that birds like Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, brown Thrashers and black-capped Chickadees as they come for feeding time at your feeder!
Wild birds also like eating stale bread, crackers and cookies but the most beneficial source for their nutrition are whole grain or rye products that provide more fiber. Cooked plain pasta and rice dishes also make an excellent offering – although avoid giving birds anything with sprouts, mold or strong smell.
Grains
Wild birds need enough calories in their diets to stay warm and reserve energy for nesting, breeding and other activities. Supplying calorific foods from your kitchen can reduce waste while supporting bird populations.
Stale bread, cake scraps and similar baked leftovers are attractive to wild birds, however any food which has become mold-contaminated should be avoided as this could prove fatal to wild bird populations.
Leftover cooked plain pasta and rice provide essential carbohydrates to wild bird diets, making up a key part of their nutrition. When offering food to birds it’s best to limit salt or spice content as much as possible; nuts of all varieties such as old and stale peanuts and pecans are beloved treats while raisins should always be soaked before offering as they enjoy being enjoyed as snacks!
Pasta
Be it leftover nuts, bruised berries, or anything else you may find, save it for the birds as a food source during winter when fresh food supplies may be limited. This is especially beneficial when there is less fresh food readily available for consumption.
Flocking birds require constant supplies of carbohydrates and proteins in order to sustain their fast metabolisms. Furthermore, high energy levels must also be maintained so as to sustain these fast metabolisms.
Many everyday kitchen scraps are suitable for feeding backyard birds, such as cooked rice and pasta. Just ensure to offer plain foods without adding salt, sugar or other ingredients that could harm them. Also avoid foods that spoil quickly like stale bread and fruit as this could make birds sick; additionally onion and garlic are known to be toxic to wild birds so these should also be avoided as sources of nutrition for your backyard birds.
Cereal
Birds consume various foods, with kitchen leftovers providing essential nutrition for wild birds. Dry cereal, including cornflakes and crackers can make an attractive offering; just be sure to moisten or crush before giving out to avoid dangerous mold. Pet food such as kibble or canned dog or cat food may also be fed directly to birds; just be careful that chickadees or titmice do not consume too much due to risk of aspergillosis.
Suet (rendered beef fat) is an energy-rich food for wild birds that comes in raw chunks or prepackaged cakes and plugs, providing fuel to chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches and other species. Chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches and other birds especially enjoy it! Eggshells also offer calcium supplementation that can be given whole or crushed and mixed with birdseed as a calcium source; mild cheese may be included but only under strict supervision – nothing rancid or moldy should ever be given!
