Birders often opt to offer a combination of seeds in order to draw in different species. Be mindful when reading ingredient lists to avoid fillers such as golden millet, buckwheat or oats which birds don’t consume and will spoil quickly.
Black Oil Sunflowers are perennial favorites that attract all species of songbirds. A good alternative for those having trouble with House Sparrows and Blackbirds eating all their seed is Striped Sunflower.
Contents
Black Oil Sunflower
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds are one of the most beloved bird foods, frequently being included in various wild bird feed mixes. Their thin shells allow nearly all seed-eating birds to open them with ease. Furthermore, these nutritious seeds are high in protein, fiber, fat, calcium, vitamin B-complex and iron content – providing your flock with ample nutrition!
Striped Sunflower Seeds are less costly than Black Oil Sunflower seeds and enjoyed by various species of birds, though their harder shell requires more effort for smaller birds to crack open, potentially leaving behind an unsightly mess in your feeders.
Millet, a popular ingredient in seed mixes, is loved by birds such as American goldfinches, lesser goldfinches, indigo buntings, pine siskins and indigo buntings – not to mention House Sparrows and other undesirable species at your feeders!
Striped Sunflower
Niger seed, often called, draws goldfinches, indigo buntings and common redpolls to its bounty, as well as cardinals, chickadees and woodpeckers looking for an energy boost.
Hulled sunflower seeds have had their shells removed to make them easier for birds to consume and less messy in your feeders. Finches, sparrows and nutcrackers often favor them as food sources.
Many birders use shelled or cracked corn in their seed mixtures to attract jays, doves, pheasants and quail. Unfortunately, however, its high protein content quickly spoils and can harbor potentially toxic aflatoxins; so it is best to offer only as much corn as can be consumed within 24 hours or is uncontaminated by other types of birds.
Safflower
Safflower seeds are high-oil seeds that attract cardinals and many songbirds. Their bitter taste also deters squirrels from frequenting your feeders – providing an effective solution if nuisance wildlife are becoming an issue at your feeders.
This annual plant is easy to cultivate and adapts well to both warm and cool climates. Optimal results can be found when grown in full sun conditions under dry conditions with soil rich in nitrogen – ideal conditions for livestock grazing!
Millet
Small millet seeds provide quick energy for birds like finches, sparrows, juncos and buntings – as well as being an integral component of many seed mixes.
Milo (also called sorghum) is often included as filler seed in inexpensive bird seed mixes, though wild birds don’t appreciate it much and tend to discard it on the ground where it rots away quickly, providing little nutrition or value.
Fillers such as rye, wheat and rice offer energy but little else; better alternatives include oats, wheat germ and canary grass seed which contain more nutrients; these items are preferred by ground-feeding species such as quail, towhees and juncos as they tolerate wet conditions more readily than their competitors.
Rapeseed
Rape seed (Brassica napus) is an annual oil crop belonging to the Brassica family that can be found both winter and spring annually. Related species include mustard, cabbage, broccoli and turnip; these three- to five-foot tall plants boast bright yellow four-petaled flowers.
Rapeseed seeds are rich in proteins, fats and fiber as well as calcium, iron and potassium – essential ingredients for small birds such as finches, juncos, and quail. Rapeseed is often combined with black oil sunflower or striped sunflower seed mixes for backyard bird feeding and it is important that any wild bird food purchased includes full ingredient lists.
Canary Seed
Canary Seed (Phalaris canariensis) is an indispensable ingredient of most bird mixtures. A hardy crop that thrives under various environmental conditions, Canary Seed is susceptible to being damaged by bird cherry-oat aphid and grain aphid pests which feed off of it and pose significant threats of damage.
Niger seeds (Guizotia abyssinica) are an integral component of many seed mixes, providing both protein and oil for birds’ nutrition. Although rich in both, their consumption should not dominate a bird’s diet too significantly.
Nyjer Seed (Thistle Seeds), also known as Nyjer seed is popular with finches like Goldfinches and Siskins. These specialist seeds contain rich oils and high concentrations of fat; therefore only 5 to 10% should make up part of a bird’s diet.
