Do Different Types of Bird Seeds Attract Different Types of Birds?

Some feeders are designed for specific bird species.

Having several bird feeders, each filled with a different type of seed, will result in a greater variety of birds visiting your yard. Birds have seed preferences, largely based upon the size of the seed and the hardness of the shell. Seed, however, is not the only way to attract birds to your yard.

Black-oil Sunflower

There are two varieties of sunflower seeds, with the black-oil variety being the smaller. The oil in the seed is high in energy and the thin shell makes it easier for small birds to crack open. Among the birds the seeds attract are cardinals, finches, chickadees, doves, woodpeckers and sparrows.

Striped Sunflower

Not used as much since the development of the black-oil variety, the striped sunflower is the larger sunflower used in bird feeders. It has a thicker shell than the black-oil sunflower, and it is usually found in seed mixes meant for birds with large bills that are able to crack the thicker shell.

Sunflower Hearts

Perhaps the best seed for attracting birds are sunflower hearts and chips. These are the inside of the sunflowers which have had their hulls removed by machine. Sunflower hearts attract a lot of birds, even birds that typically show no interest in sunflowers that have their shells on. In addition to attracting grosbeaks, doves, juncos, cardinals, finches and chickadees, sunflower hearts will also attract thrushes, bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds, catbirds, siskins and redpolls, all of which have bills that are too weak to remove the shells.

Thistle

Also called niger, sometimes spelled nyjer, thistle has no relation to North American thistle plants. Imported from Africa, the seeds are grown for the edible oil. Used in specially designed bird feeders, they attract finches, chickadees, siskins and sparrows.

Millet

Millet is a round, small grain that is often used in seed mixes. Favored by birds that prefer to forage on the ground, the white variety seems to do a better job of attracting birds than the red variety. Millet on the ground will attract doves, thrashers, sparrows, cardinals and wrens.

Other Seeds

Corn is an inexpensive seed that is used alone or as a mixture with other seeds. Whole kernels are used to feed larger birds like ducks and turkeys. Cracked corn --- kernels that have been broken into pieces --- attract smaller birds because the pieces are easier for them to eat. Safflower seeds are popular with ground-eating birds such as sparrows and doves, but the seeds can be expensive. Mixed birdseed, which might include corn, sunflower seeds and even peanuts, has no standard formulation. Each manufacturer decides its own ingredients and its own ratio of those ingredients. When used in a bird feeder, birds will toss seeds they don't like onto the ground, where they are then eaten by ground feeders.

Suet and Fruit

Suet cake is a mixture of beef fat and other ingredients such as corn, birdseed and peanuts. High in energy, the cakes are good for birds when the weather is cold. Depending upon the types of seed in the cake, suet can attract woodpeckers, orioles, titmice, chickadees, warbler and cardinals. Pieces of apples, bananas, oranges and peaches will also attract birds such as mockingbirds, tanagers, robins, waxwings, bluebirds, jays, orioles and catbirds.

References

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Project Feeder Watch: Seeds and Grains for Birds
• Birds of North America: Attracting Birds
• For the Birds: Different Seed for Different Birds

Resources

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Project Feeder Watch: What to Feed Birds