Many grocery stores, hardware stores and general bird feed shops carry seed blends containing filler seeds such as milo that most songbirds tend to avoid; this helps bring down the price per pound of the bag.
Birds often enjoy feeding on old or bruised berries, windfall fruit and stale bread. Cooked pasta and rice provide an excellent source of carbohydrates; however, sugar-coated cereals should be avoided.
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Black-oil Sunflower
Black oil sunflower seeds (Helianthus annus) are beloved treats among birds, such as chickadees, grosbeaks and cardinals. With high oil contents that help provide energy for long flights and thin shells that make opening easier for most species than their striped counterparts – black-oil seeds have many avian fans!
Not only should you offer black-oil sunflowers as bird food, but you should also provide striped and regular sunflower hearts to attract other types of birds. Just remember that striped and regular sunflower seeds spoil much faster than black-oil seeds so only put out enough so they will be eaten within two days or so.
If you run out of bird food, stale bread and baked goods make an attractive offering for various wild bird species. Whole wheat bread offers more nutrition and fiber content compared to its white counterpart; bruised fruit such as bruised strawberries and slightly old berries work just as well for giving out. Mild cheese grated or crumbled on the ground also enjoys being consumed by robins, thrushes, and wrens alike!
Striped Sunflower
Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers and grosbeaks find striped sunflower seeds easier for chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers and grosbeaks to open than black oil sunflower seeds; their thicker shells also make this variety an energy-rich source that birds need. Striped sunflower seeds may also be mixed into mixes or used in place of black oil sunflower seeds when supplies run low.
Stale bread, cake and cookies can provide essential nutrition to wild birds provided they do not contain high salt or sugar levels or are cooked or coated in any way that could harm them. Crushed eggshells also make great meals during breeding season when calcium support for their developing offspring is needed. Insects also feed on these items while older or stale nuts provide sustenance; though long term storage may lead to mold growth or diseases that are harmful.
White Millet
Bird enthusiasts often provide fruit, berries, and even some vegetables to wild birds as an emergency source of energy, particularly during the colder winter months. Some common offerings for feeding wild birds include stale bread crusts, cake, biscuits as well as oranges, melons and berries.
White millet (proso or safflower millet) is another ground feeding option which can be fed either on a platform feeder or scattered directly on the ground, and is enjoyed by various ground feeder species such as quail, native American sparrows, doves, towhees and juncos.
Moldy grains and nuts can be toxic to birds, so it is wise to offer only foods without added sugars or salts such as stale cereal, oatmeal or bread that has been soaked or cooked prior to feeding – this helps avoid sticking in their beak. Also available on low tray feeders are cooked vegetables like pea pods, carrots or sweet corn that have been prepared and offered on an open dish feeder.
Sunflower Hearts
Black-oil sunflower seeds are an easy and popular feeder food choice, drawing in cardinals, chickadees, finches, sparrows and woodpeckers to your garden. Their thin shells allow birds to quickly break them open for accessing fat-packed kernels inside.
Striped sunflower hearts are an underrated yet excellent option for your bird feeder. Their husks have been mechanically removed to reduce waste under your feeder and they make an attractive treat for many garden visitors as they contain high energy content – perfect for winter months.
Other foods you can offer wild birds as food include fruit – especially berries (avoid citrus fruits that will quickly spoil), as well as edible kitchen scraps like cooked pasta and rice. Furthermore, certain bird species like robins, catbirds, and orioles enjoy grape jelly; whether made yourself from scratch or purchased readymade in stores – just ensure it’s not rancid or too soft before offering to any bird that eats it!
