Wild birds benefit from protein-rich seeds and grains year-round, but an increased fat blend is often preferred during molting season or during the colder winter months when extra calories help keep birds warm.
Sunflower seeds — including both black oil sunflowers and striped sunflowers — are popular basic bird feed ingredients, providing protein, fat, vitamins B and E and energy.
Contents
Canola Seed
Canola (Brassica napus) plants produce yellow flowers that produce pods resembling pea pods. Within each pod are tiny black seeds with up to 45% oil content; when crushed into oil this provides an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid for human nutrition.
Canola is a high-yield crop that requires ample nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as well as herbicide to control weeds and protect it from disease. Farmers also employ herbicide treatments in order to ensure optimal production.
Cracked Corn
Cracked corn is a mainstay in many wild bird feed mixes, drawing ground-feeding species such as doves, blackbirds, sparrows and towhees to its surfaces. Furthermore, its aromatic scent attracts squirrels and other backyard critters as well.
Feeders or scattering it across the ground is another method. Waste seeds are frequently included as filler in seed blends sold at general wild bird stores and bulk food stores – and may even contain more of it than actual bird food!
Flaxseed
Flax seeds are an integral component of many seed mixes, thanks to their abundance of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and phytoestrogens that work to regulate female hormones and balance hormone levels.
Seeds of this fruit provide fiber, calcium and magnesium; their oil is often used in cooking or as nutritional supplementation.
Canary grass and rapeseed can sometimes be included in high-value bird seed mixes, but most birds prefer sunflower as an essential filler grain.
Red Millet
Millet is beloved among birds, so it is often included in wild bird seed mixes. However, millet shouldn’t be the primary ingredient as this attracts unwanted pest birds like grackles and starlings, along with squirrels; therefore it should only be offered via ground feeding stations or low tray feeders.
Check the ingredients of any bird seed mix you purchase carefully before buying it. A quality mix should not include filler seeds such as milo, sorghum or wheat berries – these filler seeds tend to be common in cheaper seed blends but will likely be disregarded by wild birds.
White Millet
White millet (also called proso millet) is an important ingredient of many wild bird seed blends and especially popular with ground feeders. It can be fed through feeders of all kinds or sprinkled directly on the ground.
Protein, carbohydrates and minerals can all be found in sunflower seed. As such, it often serves as filler in cheaper bird seed mixes sold at big box stores, hardware stores and general pet/garden centers – be sure to carefully evaluate any blends you purchase!
Red Milo
Birders wish to attract as many different species of birds as possible to their feeders, and one effective method is using a quality seed mix.
Cheaper mixes often contain milo or wheat seeds as “filler,” which birds will discard as quickly as possible, ending up as weed seed in your lawn if the feeder is on the ground!
Selecting higher cost mixes that contain fewer “filler” ingredients will draw in more birds to your feeders and save money long term by not throwing away unconsumed seed.
In-Shell Peanuts
Birds are highly efficient eaters that need quality food sources in order to survive, such as high protein and fat contents in their food sources.
Avoid seed mixes containing grain sorghum (milo) and other inexpensive filler ingredients that birds don’t require; such seeds will just fall to the ground attracting unwanted scavenger birds and rodents.
Nyjer seed is a beloved treat among Goldfinches and Purple Finches. With its small size and thin shell, this seed makes feeding easier for small birds like Goldfinches.
Peanut Pieces
Peanuts’ high fat content attracts jays, cardinals, buntings and woodpeckers during winter when their young require additional protein and fat supplements to thrive.
Seed mixes that contain milo, sorghum or any other cheaper “filler” ingredients should be avoided to save both time and money over the long term, as these seeds lose vital fatty oils that birds need for digestion, leading to wasteful waste accumulation at your feeders and unwanted weed growth. Instead, invest in high quality ingredients so as to save money over time while simultaneously drawing in more bird species.
