The best wild bird food you can buy at Walmart is usually the simplest: a bag that is mostly black oil sunflower seed, plus nyjer for finches or safflower for cardinals if you want to attract those birds. Brands and blends change from store to store, so choose by what is in the bag, not by the name on the front.
Best Seed Types to Look For
- Black oil sunflower: The most useful single seed. Its thin shell is easy for most seed-eating birds to crack, and it is high in fat for winter energy. It also works in almost any feeder.
- Sunflower hearts or chips: Shelled sunflower is less messy and has no hulls to rake up, but it costs more and spoils faster if it gets damp. See our wild bird sunflower seeds guide.
- Nyjer (thistle): Tiny, oily seed that goldfinches, siskins and other small finches love. It needs a finch feeder with small ports.
- Safflower: A favorite of cardinals and also eaten by chickadees and doves. It is often ignored by starlings and house sparrows.
- White proso millet: Good for ground-feeding birds such as juncos, doves and native sparrows.
What to Skip on the Shelf
Many cheap blends are padded with red milo, flax, golden millet and wheat. Birds often kick these out of the feeder, and the leftovers can grow mold and spoil fresh seed. Look at the ingredient list: if sunflower is not the first ingredient, it is probably not the best value. Never buy anything that includes red-dyed corn, which is treated seed corn and is harmful to birds.
Match the Food to the Birds You Want
- Cardinals, grosbeaks, chickadees, titmice: Black oil sunflower or safflower in a hopper or tray feeder
- Goldfinches and other finches: Nyjer in a finch feeder, or sunflower hearts
- Woodpeckers and nuthatches: Suet cakes in a cage feeder
- Doves and juncos: A small amount of millet on a tray or the ground
For more ideas beyond seed, read what to feed wild birds besides seed.
Buying and Storing Bird Seed
- Check the bag for tears and signs of moisture before you buy.
- Store seed in a cool, dry place in a lidded metal or sturdy plastic bin to keep out rodents.
- Put out only what birds will eat in a day or two, especially in wet weather.
- Rake up old shells and spoiled seed under feeders, and clean feeders regularly.
If you want to compare big bags, see our guide to a Walmart 40 lb bag of wild bird seed, and for budget tips check the cheapest way to feed wild birds.
Bottom Line
At Walmart, a plain black oil sunflower bag is the best all-around choice, with nyjer or safflower added for specific birds. Read the label, avoid milo-heavy fillers and store seed dry. If you see sick or fluffed-up birds at your feeder, take it down and clean it, since shared feeders can spread disease.
