Attract The Birds You Want To See With The Foods They Want To Eat

Spring signals the return of our feathered friends, back from spending their winter in warmer climes. While many people look forward to welcoming these birds back with cakes of suet and seed, with each new year we invariably see even more joining the ranks of birders worldwide.

All you need to make these chirpers happy is some bird food and a safe spot to pile it on. Most people choose a feeder or a stand for the latter, but when it comes to filling it with food, there are several options.

Before you fill that feeder with a random assortment of ballast, it’s wise to learn about the birds in your region, as well as how and what they like to eat. Putting out the right meal will help you attract even more beautiful birds to your backyard.

That’s the best part of being a birder, isn’t it?

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Do you know who’s coming to eat in your backyard?

Here’s a list of popular bird foods, and what types of birds you might attract by putting them outside:

6. Corn

As the Spruce reports, many types of birds like cracked corn, typically the larger, more voracious species who will peck at kernels on the ground.

These are the birds you might expect to see:

Sprinkling cracked kernels in an open area can attract several birds who will make quick work of the corn, while sprinkling cracked corn under shrubs and bushes can attract species who prefer a little privacy, like towhees and quail.

Corn is inexpensive and enjoyed by many birds but be forewarned, it can also attract other wildlife like squirrels and raccoons, which you may not want scurrying around.

Source: Pexels
Many birds enjoy eating seeds and suet out of bird feeders.

5. Sunflower Seeds

Many birds enjoy sunflower seeds, whether cracking open the black-oil or striped varieties, or munching on shelled seeds.

Black-oil sunflower seeds are popular amongst nearly all birds. According to Bird Watching HQ, these seeds have a higher oil content than striped seed, as well as being less expensive. Their thinner shells are also more easily cracked open by birds

Striped sunflower seeds are the type that humans snack on. They are not as popular amongst birds, and more expensive when compared to the black-oil variety, but striped sunflower seeds are still effective in attracting birds to your feeder.

If you don’t want a mess of shells around your feeder, hulled sunflower seeds are a good option, and bound to be wildly popular amongst your feathered friends.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Millet seeds can be sprinkled on the ground to attract birds.

4. White Millet

As All Abut Birds reports, small round white millet seeds will attract ground-feeding birds including quails, native American sparrows, doves, towhees, juncos, and cardinals. It can also be set out on draining tray feeders, a few inches off the ground.

Millet seeds are eaten by most all birds who also enjoy black-oil sunflower seeds, along with blackbirds and House Sparrows. People who want to avoid attracting these already overpopulous species to their feeders may do well to opt for sunflower seeds, instead.

Source: Wikimedia Commons
Cardinals enjoy safflower seeds.

3. Safflower

As Bird Watcher’s Digest reports, white safflower seeds are the favorite food of the Northern Cardinal, and typically passed over by pesky squirrels and blackbirds.

Birds that enjoy safflower seeds typically like it dry and crunchy. The seeds will absorb water from rain or dew, and may ward more birds away than bring them in. It’s best to place it in a tray or feeder, off the ground.

Source: PxFuel
The right seed can attract the birds you want to see.

2. Nyger or Thistle

American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, and other small finches, as well as Indigo Buntings, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls enjoy these tiny, black, needle-like seeds, All About Birds reports.

Where thistle is considered an invasive species, nyger provides a similar oily, black seed, without the worry of proliferation as birds carry them off.

Source: PxHere
Make sure you don’t inadvertently attract pests by choosing the right food for your feeder.

1. Peanuts

Birds enjoy eating peanuts in thew shell or out. According to Inverse, peanuts will attract jays, crows, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, and many others. Like other popular foods, they can also attract squirrels and raccoons.

Similar to corn and safflower, rain or moisture can soften peanuts and make them inedible to picky birds. It’s best not to overfill your feeder or broadcast them too generously to avoid waste.

If you have a feeder to fill with these bird-approved foods, we can almost guarantee you’ll soon be the chitter of the neighborhood, with feathered friends stopping by at all hours of the day.

Even if you don’t have a feeder, you can still make due with some common household objects. Tie string to a pine cone smeared with crunchy peanut butter and hang it up on a tree branch or near a window. Then, sit back, and see who shows up first.