If you only buy one food, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society agree it should be black-oil sunflower seed, which attracts the widest range of feeder birds. After that, each food you add brings in particular birds. The chart below combines the Cornell Lab's seed guide, Project FeederWatch's food list and Audubon's feeding tips.
Seed-by-species chart
| Food | Birds it attracts | Best feeder | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black-oil sunflower | Nearly all seed-eating birds: cardinals, chickadees, finches, sparrows; woodpeckers occasionally | Tube, hopper, tray, window feeders | Squirrels love it; use baffles |
| Striped sunflower | Same birds, but harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to crack | Same as black-oil | Useful if those species dominate |
| Hulled sunflower (hearts, chips) | Any sunflower eater, with no shell mess | Not tube feeders, where moisture collects | Spoils fast; offer only a day or two's worth |
| Safflower | Cardinals (a favorite), grosbeaks, chickadees, doves, native sparrows | Tray, hopper | Most birds still prefer sunflower |
| Nyjer ("thistle") | American and Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Common Redpoll, Indigo Bunting | Feeder with very small ports, or a sock | Feed it alone to cut waste (FeederWatch) |
| White proso millet | Ground feeders: juncos, native sparrows, doves, towhees, quail, cardinals | Scattered on the ground, low trays | Also draws cowbirds and House Sparrows |
| Cracked corn | Doves, quail, sparrows, jays, turkeys | Small amounts on trays; not tubes | Aflatoxin risk if damp; never red-dyed corn |
| Peanuts | Jays, crows, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers | Platform (in-shell), mesh or tube (shelled) | Raw or plain roasted only; no salt or coatings; keep dry |
| Suet | Insect-eaters: woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees | Suet cage at least 5 ft up (Audubon) | Turns rancid in heat; offer in cool weather |
| Mealworms | Chickadees, titmice, wrens, nuthatches, bluebirds | Flat tray or mealworm dish | Live or dried both work |
| Fruit | Orioles (orange halves), mockingbirds, catbirds, bluebirds, robins, waxwings | Spike, tray | Discard moldy fruit |
| Sugar water | Hummingbirds (1:4), orioles (1:6) | Nectar feeder | No red dye; see our hummingbird guide |
| Milo (sorghum) | Western ground feeders such as Steller's Jay, Curve-billed Thrasher, Gambel's Quail | Ground or low tray | Eastern birds mostly ignore it |
Foods to skip
- Filler seeds. Golden millet, red millet and flax are common fillers in cheap mixes. Cornell says most birds avoid them, and the uneaten seed breeds bacteria and fungus. Check the label: if a mix has small red seeds, they should be milo, not red millet.
- Canary seed. It's popular with House Sparrows and cowbirds. Sunflower is the better all-round choice (Cornell).
- Red-dyed corn, and buttered or microwave popcorn (Cornell).
- Salted or flavored peanuts (Project FeederWatch).
- Antifreeze in birdbaths. It's poisonous to birds and other animals. Use a birdbath heater instead (FeederWatch).
Matching feeders to feeding styles
Audubon's Steve Kress recommends offering food at different heights. Use table-style feeders for ground-feeding sparrows, juncos and towhees, hopper or tube feeders for finches and cardinals, and suet feeders well off the ground for woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees. He also suggests putting sunflower, nyjer and peanuts in separate feeders. If you buy a blend, choose one with sunflower, millet and cracked corn.
Water counts too
FeederWatch notes that water attracts birds for drinking and bathing. Ground-level baths are preferred, but raised ones work too. Add stones or branches so birds can drink without getting soaked, and change the water daily. A dripper helps draw attention to it.
Keep feeders clean
- Seed feeders: clean about every two weeks, and more often in heavy use, wet weather, when salmonella is reported in your area, or if you see sick birds (Cornell).
- Method: take the feeder apart, then use a dishwasher on hot, soap and boiling water, or a bleach solution of "no more than 1 part bleach to 9 parts water." Cornell describes a 10-minute soak as very effective. Rinse well and dry completely before refilling.
- Clean underneath. Rake up hulls and spilled seed below feeders.
- Store seed in metal containers with secure lids, in a cool, dry place. Audubon advises against keeping seed from one winter to the next.
Squirrels, windows and cats
- Squirrels: Audubon suggests a pole about 5 feet high and at least 10 feet from the nearest shrub, tree or structure, with a cone-shaped baffle at least 17 inches across below the feeder.
- Windows: place feeders within 3 feet of windows where possible, and break up reflections with decorations or netting. Audubon cites an estimate of about one billion US bird deaths a year from window collisions.
- Cats: keep them indoors. Audubon notes that bells on collars usually don't work.
Using your feeders for the Bird-a-Day challenge
Each food you add is a small insurance policy for a Bird-a-Day streak. Nyjer brings in the finches, millet brings in the ground sparrows, suet brings in the woodpeckers. Those regulars are the "reserve" birds you save for days when nothing new turns up. Meet them on our common backyard birds page.