Seed Varieties

Since different bird species prefer different types of food, the best way to attract a variety of birds to your feeding station is to offer as wide a choice as possible. Please visit our Nature Stores for advice and buying information.

sunflower

Seed-eating birds will eat little else as long as sunflower seed is available, and as a result, it should comprise the bulk of the food you provide. Sunflower seed is best offered unmixed in its own feeder.

There are two varieties of sunflower seed. Gray-striped sunflower seed has long been familiar to people who feed birds, but in recent years, black-oil sunflower seed has become the popular choice of people who feed birds. Black-oil seed are smaller than the grey-striped variety, with a thinner hull and higher calorie content. Hulled sunflower hearts and chips are also available, though at a premium price. The primary advantage of this seed is that it eliminates the accumulation of hulls on your lawn. Sunflower hulls in quantity are toxic to plant life and will kill the grass under the feeder if not periodically raked up and removed.

Favorite choice of: black-capped chickadees, evening grosbeaks, tufted titmice, blue jays, American goldfinches,house finches, purple finches, northern cardinals.

Gray-striped sunflower seed is especially preferred by tufted titmice, common grackles, and blue jays.

Black-oil seed is preferred by chickadees, evening grosbeaks, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and finches.

proso millet

Because proso millet has a hard seed coat and resists swelling and rotting, it does not readily clog feeders.

Especially favored by ground-feeding birds such as American tree sparrows, song sparrows, mourning doves, dark-eyed juncos, brown-headed cowbirds, white-throated sparrows, and house sparrows.

cracked corn

It is best offered on table feeders or on the ground. Because it is soft, water-absorbent, and tends to mold and cake, it is not a good seed to use in a hanging or hopper-type feeder.
Favored by white-throated sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, northern cardinals, mourning doves, and American tree sparrows, but is also a favorite food of squirrels, house sparrows, and blackbirds.

thistle (niger) seed

A tiny, black seed imported from Asia , thistle seed is not related to our prickly thistles of roadsides and pastures. Because thistle seed is so expensive, it is best dispensed in special feeders with tiny holes to help reduce spillage and competition from other birds who would waste it.

All-time favorite of the American goldfinch but is also eaten by house finches, redpolls, and pine siskins.

peanut hearts

Peanuts probably appeal to both insect-eating and seed-eating birds because of their high fat and protein content. However, because starlings seem to prefer peanut hearts to other seed, it may be a good idea not to offer it where starlings are already abundant, as they may drive smaller birds from the feeding station.
Favorite food of the tufted titmice, but also eaten by blue jays, starlings, red-winged blackbirds, grey catbirds, dark-eyed juncos, indigo buntings, black-capped chickadees, kinglets, and certain warblers. Peanut meats also attract downy woodpeckers and flickers.

mixed seed

A variety of combinations containing different amounts of sunflower seed, millet, cracked corn, and peanut hearts are on the market today. Premium blends contain a higher percentage of sunflower seed and peanut hearts. It is best dispensed from tabletop or hopper-type feeders.