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Attracting Wild Birds by Feeding

The choices in wild bird feed is nearly as great as the birds you're trying to attract. With so many choices it hard to decide which feed is best for feeding.

Some inexpensive seed mixes are a blend of sunflowers and a large amount of "fillers" like milo, millet, oats, wheat and others that many wild birds dislike. Much of the filler seed is wasted increasing your overall feeding cost to that of a premium wild bird seed mix. 

The first step in feeding wild birds is deciding what types of birds you want to attract to your feeders. From there you can select your feed, and the correct type of feeder. 

Choosing Wild Bird Seed

Corn...
Dried whole corn is a favorite of larger birds like Pigeons and Jays. Game birds such as Doves, Pheasants, Quail and Turkeys also love whole corn. Smaller birds prefer cracked corn. Cracked corn will attract Cowbirds, Blackbirds, Finches, Sparrows, Juncos, Starlings, Thrasers and several other small birds.

Whole corn is available in several bag sizes, in bulk, and on the cob. Jays love to pick the whole corn right off the cob. Cracked corn is also available in several bag sizes. Corn can be fed in tray feeders, house feeders, window feeders, an tube feeders.

Millet...
Millet is available in two varieties, red and white. White millet or Panicum miliaceum is preferred by more wild birds than red. It is a favorite of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Chicadees, Mouring Dove, House Finches, Blue and Stellar Jay's, Nuthatches, and House Sparrows.

Millet is available in several bags sizes, in bulk, or in seed mixes. Millet can be fed in tray feeders, house feeders, window feeders, and tube feeders.

Milo...
Milo is also called Sorghum. It is mainly used as a filler in inexpensive commercial bagged seed mixes. Most wild birds won't eat it unless there is nothing else to eat. Milo will attract Cowbirds, Starlings, and Grackles.

Mixed seed...
Mixed seed is not a favorite choice for wild birds because it contains a lot of Milo. Mixed seed is best spread on the ground for ground feeding birds like Mourning Doves... or placed in a tray feeder for wild birds to pick thru. They'll kick out the millet... which will fall to the ground for the ground feeders.

Niger...
Niger is also refereed to as Nyger or Thistle. It is native to Ethiopia and not a member of the Thistle family. Nearly all Niger seed has been treated so that seed that falls to the ground will not grow. Nigers tiny seeds are a favorite of Finches, Siskins, Redpolls, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Mourning Doves, Juncos, and Sparrows.

Niger is fairly expensive. It can be purchased in several sizes of bags or in bulk. It should be feed in a Niger tube feeder to avoid wasting the seed.

Peanut Kernels...
This are the same peanuts that we eat only they are raw and unsalted. Peanuts can be fed either in the shell or shelled. They are a favorite of Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Jays, Magpies, and Wrens. Squirrels love peanuts too!

Whole Peanuts are available in bags or in bulk. Shelled Peanuts are available in bulk and gallon bottles. Whole Peanuts can be fed in tray feeders, house feeders, window feeders, and tube feeders. Shelled peanuts are best fed in peanut feeders.

Safflower...
Safflower is a bit more pricey than other wild bird feeds. It's an excellent choice for attracting Cardinals and Mourning Doves. Its also favored by Chicadees, Finches, Jay's, Nuthatches, and Sparrows. Squirrels, Grackles and Blackbirds won't eat Safflower.

Safflower is available in several bags sizes or in seed mixes. Safflower can be fed in tray feeders, house feeders, window feeders, and tube feeders.

Sunflower...
There are basically three types of Sunflower seed available. Black Oil, Striped, and Sunflower chips. Black Oil is the favorite of most wild birds... while Sunflower chips are preferred by small birds. 

Sunflower is available in several bag sizes, or in bulk. Sunflowers can be fed in tray feeders, house feeders, window feeders, and tube feeders.

Feed Storage...
All feeds should be stored off the ground in water and air tight containers. Big popcorn tins are an excellent choice for storing seed.

Now that we know about Seed... Let's learn about
Suet and Other Wild Bird Foods.

Related Topics

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