Why Feed Birds?
As covered in Bird Feeders 101 there are a few reasons to feed birds. Many people do it for the enjoyment of bird watching but there’s more:
- feel connected to nature
- helps food supply during crop failures
- positive impact on health
Did you know? Humans evolved to feel safe when birds sing. That’s because birds only sing when they’re safe– from natural disasters, weather, predators, and more. Bird song is an indicator that you can relax.
There's a lot of communion with nature through birds that just feels right. Animals and humans have a long standing relationship integral to our evolution, survival, and happiness.
Whatever your reason for feeding the birds you're on track for living a balanced life.
Does feeding birds harm them?
You might be curious if birds can become reliant on you for food. The short answer: it depends.
Foraging birds practice what's called optimal foraging theory. The high metabolic rates of smaller birds and risk of predation makes them opportunistic foragers. They have a variety of sources of seeds, nuts, fruits, and grain in addition to feeders. This resource partitioning ensures a balanced diet and minimizes 'patch' depletion.
In contrast, birds of prey are intermittent hunters. While songbirds are 'grazers' of the landscape, raptors are 'stake-out' predators that prioritize caloric efficiency over constant movement.
Songbirds requires constant energy intake and variety, while raptors are defined by feast-and-famine cycles.
Never Feed Predators
The same goes for many wild animals like bears, foxes, owls, snakes, etc.
Food conditioned behavior arises when animals associate humans with food and become bold, sometimes aggressive beggars. Feeding wild predators disrupts their natural hunting instincts and can lead to aggression and unrest towards people.
Invasive Species
Many birders try to deter invasive species from their bird feeders and bird houses.
Many introduced, nonnative birds cause harm that the ecosystem can’t recover from. These species end up thriving because they lack natural predators and let them “bypass” the food cycle. They can cause millions of dollars in crop damage and decimate native species leading to possible ecological collapse.
Bird Feeding Types
Bird diets vary based on needs of different species, time of year, and are also influenced by crop failures.
Eating habits, though, are based on the food a specific species generally eats and how it obtains that food. Many are subtypes of a larger category.
There are 5 main types of bird feeding habits. Omnivores encompass granivores, frugivores, insectivores and nectarivores. And insectivores are a kind of carnivore but not all carnivores eat insects.
1. Frugivores
These birds primarily eat fruit like berries, crabapples, mountain ash, and chokecherries. They expand their diet in the spring to worms, insects, and spiders to meet their higher protein demands.
Features of frugivorous birds are short intestines for rapid seed passage, and occasionally special digestive enzymes. Many birds in tropical environments are frugivores like toucans.
Frugivorous birds in North America include orioles, waxwings, robins, bluebirds, and many pigeons.
2. Granivores
They eat seeds and grain. Their strong beaks crack shells of a variety of seeds and nuts which is the primary source of nutrients for their diets. Granivores help spread seeds in the ecosystem through endozoochory, or pooping them out.
Features of granivorous birds include conical or cone-shaped beaks and gizzards that have grit to help grind food. A gizzard is an organ in the digestive system that basically chews food for the bird since it doesn't have teeth.
Granivorous birds in North America include finches, sparrows, doves, cardinals, grosbeaks, and waterfowl like ducks and geese.
3. Nectarivores
Birds that eat nectar and pollen are called nectarivores. Nectar is a high sugar, high glucose food that gives rapid energy because it's quickly digested and absorbed. These birds supplement with insects when needed.
Features of nectivorous birds include long bills and tongues for nectar collection, special enzymes for rapid digestion, smaller gizzards for quick absorption, and kidneys that excrete water faster.
Nectarivorous birds in North America include hummingbirds, orioles, warblers, some woodpeckers, tanagers, and mockingbirds.
- Related: 9 Ways to Attract Hummingbirds
4. Insectivores
There are two kinds of insectivores— aerial and perch, aka foliage, insectivores. Aerial insectivores catch flying insects in the air while "hawking", coined after hawks occasionally catching prey in the air. Perch insectivores “sally” or stalk and snatch food from its perch.
Features include gaping mouths for catching bugs, short sharp beaks to extract bugs from trees or the ground, and rictal bristles.
Insectivorous birds in North America include swallows, nightjars, woodpeckers, and flycatchers. In fact, woodpeckers are named after their eating habits! They peck through bark for their food.
5. Carnivores
Carnivores are animals who eat animal meat or flesh. This category encompasses birds, fish, snakes, mice, and even shell fish, bugs, and spiders.
Birds of prey are carnivores, and carnivores hunt whereas omnivores gather. Some carnivorous birds are scavengers that eat decaying animal carcasses. Features of carnivorous birds include sharp talons and hooded beaks for tearing flesh, and keen eyesight for spotting prey on the ground or in the air. Birds of prey will eat nearly any vertebrate animal.
Birds of prey in North America include owls, hawks, eagles, ospreys, falcons, and vultures.
Other Omnivorous Birds
Many birds are omnivores as noted earlier. They eat a combination of seeds, fruits, and animals, vertebrates and invertebrates alike. This category is included to give a spotlight to all the North American birds that are adaptive eaters.
These birds include crows, jays, magpies, gulls, starlings, chickens, ducks, and many of the aforementioned species, too!
What Bird Food Should I Choose?
It depends what birds are in your area. You’ll likely want to put out food that corresponds to the species that are native to you.
Outdoor bird feeders are usually for some combination of bird seed, grain, fruit, and insect protein. What bird food you put out depends on the time of year and geography.
Seasons Matter
Winter bird food is different from spring bird food because birds have different calorie and nutritional needs each season. That, and bird migration matters a great deal.
Birds in winter store more fat to burn for energy and stay warm to survive until spring. Birds in spring seek out more protein because insects become abundant and their young need them to thrive.
Winter bird food should be higher fat:
- Suet
- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
- Grain & Seed combos
- Nuts
- Nyjer
Spring bird food should be higher protein and variety:
- Insects and mealworms
- Fruits and berries (fresh and dried)
- Seeds
- Nectar
Bird Seed 101
Bird feeders cater to different types of eating habits, like ground feeders or nectar feeders. Feeders can accommodate a mix of bird seed, grain, nuts, berries, and dried bugs. Check out our in depth guide Everything You Need to Know About Bird Feeders.
Stick to these bird seeds:
- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds: a universal seed that’s easy to crack and attracts the widest variety of birds. It’s nutrient dense with a high fat and high protein content, especially for winter bird feeders. Overall the best choice.
- Safflower Seeds: the "secret weapon"— most birds love safflower seeds, but squirrels and grackles hate the bitter taste. You can cater to birds without attracting pests or invasive bird species.
- Nyjer (Thistle): Nyjer seeds are small black seeds from the African Daisy plant. It’s high in oil making it a great high-energy food for birds. Nyjer is often labeled thistle even though it’s not. Marketers chose this because finches love thistle and it would grab the attention of people who already catered their to finches.
- Shelled Sunflower Seeds: less mess without shells leftover by the birds and still nutritionally dense. Bird seed will always be unsalted, but if you're feeding birds from your own pantry it can be only unsalted seeds and nuts.
- Suet: not a bird seed but a common winter bird food. Suet is made of tallow fat or peanut butter fat, or sometimes both. Some suet has seed mixed in.
Seed Mixes & Fillers
Bird seed mixes often have filler foods that are less popular or picked over by birds. We recommend avoiding unless you're ok reading labels. Any combination of the bird seeds above, nuts, and dried fruit can be good choices. Birds love variety!
Check out bird seed cakes, too. They can be a fun way to feed birds.
Wheat vs Human Wheat
Many birds eat wheat berries but the wheat in human food is nutritionally poor without the bran or germ. Removing the bran strips away fiber, antioxidants, and essential vitamins, and removing the germ strips away healthy fats and protein.
Birds feel full without getting any nutrients, leading to malnutrition and possible death.
Red Milo
Edible for some ground feeding birds but most don’t eat it. They just prefer other seeds. Why bother buying something most birds at your bird feeder won’t eat?
Peas, Plain Oats, and Corn
Can be good in moderation but are hardly a main food source for most birds. Peas and plain oats can be fed to birds but we recommended using them only in addition to your core four bird foods. Corn is enjoyed by ground feeding birds like turkeys, doves, juncos, and ducks. But it attracts rodents and other small animals, including “bully” species like Grackles, Starlings, and House Sparrows.
Peanuts & Nut Mixes
Birds love nuts. We recommend shelled nuts for less feeder mess but in the shell are fine. You can use peanuts, pine nuts, pecans, almonds, and many more. They’re great snacks for jays and woodpeckers.
Fruit
Fresh or dried fruit (without added sugar) are great foods to add to your feeders. Lesser known berries, or ones that are rarely in your grocery aisle, are the most popular like holly, juniper, and mulberry. You can even tie slices or oranges and grapefruit to trees or scatter them outside so long as you don’t mind the mess!
- Related: 34 Winter Birds in Michigan
What Foods Do Birds Like?
Bird species have specialized beak shapes and nutritional needs that dictate their favorite foods. Providing a variety of these items is the best way to attract a diverse range of birds. There's also plenty of overlap!
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
- Almost everyone— Northern Cardinals, Chickadees (Black-capped, Carolina), Titmice, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Grosbeaks, and House Finches.
Suet
- Woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, Pileated), Nuthatches, Chickadees, Starlings, Wrens, Bushtits; occasionally Bluebirds, Orioles, and Warblers if the suet has fruit or mealworms.
Safflower Seeds
- Northern Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Mourning Doves, House Finches, and Chickadees.
Nyjer
- Top pick for Finches of all kinds (American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, House), Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls
Shelled Sunflower Seeds (Hearts & Chips)
- Almost everyone— Goldfinches, Juncos, Sparrows, and Indigo Buntings, Jays, Titmice, Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Grosbeaks
Fruits and Berries
- Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and Orioles.
Note: In winter, hermit thrushes and various woodpeckers will also turn to berries when insects are scarce.
Cracked Corn
- Mourning Doves, Wild Turkeys, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, Ring-necked Pheasants, and Quail.
- Ground or Tray Feeders: Dark-eyed Juncos, Various Sparrows like Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows, and Towhees
Peas
- Jays, crows, ravens, ducks, turkeys, and cranes
Foods to Avoid
Some companies use filler foods like milo, wheat, beans or peas which lack the nutrients birds need. Companies use it to increase their profit margins by making you feel like you got a good deal.
Foods you must avoid feeding birds:
- Bread, Crackers, Cookies – no nutritional value and will cause malnutrition
- Chocolate & Caffeine – toxic to birds
- Avocado – toxic to birds
- Salted Foods–can cause dehydration and kidney failure (pay attention to nuts)
- Honey & Raw Sugar – can harbor deadly mold and bacteria
- Dairy Products – birds are lactose intolerant, can spread mold and disease
- Raw or Cooked Meat & Bones – attracts pests and spreads disease
- Beans - only if soaked and cooked, don’t bother
- Any Processed Pet Foods – dogs and cats have vastly different needs than birds
5 Tips for Bird Feeding Success
1. Bird Food Storage Store bird food in air tight containers to prevent mold and fungus from growing. Keep it away from direct light or heat which can torch its nutritional value. Toss if exposed to either.
2. Avoid fillers If you want to attract a variety of birds and deter pests, avoid fillers. You can keep cracked corn on hand for special occasions like when wild turkeys show up.
3. Clean feeders Birds can carry many diseases and illnesses. Clean with warm soap and water, then a mix of water and bleach to ensure cleanliness. Do this between refilling your bird feeder and halt feeding if there are alerts of avian diseases in your area.
Pickup spilled bird seed from the ground. It can grow mold and rapidly spread disease. Do this every few weeks in dry conditions, or every few days in humid conditions.
4. Cater to birds you want to see There’s no sense filling your feeders with millet if what you really want to see is a Cedar Waxwing. Pick bird seed that caters to the birds you want to see. You don’t have to cater to all birds. Consider adding bird houses to your yard several feet away from any bird feeders.
- Related: 5 Best Winter Bird Houses of 2025
5. Bully Bird Breeds If you have trouble with "bully birds" like Starlings or Grackles, switching to pure safflower can send them elsewhere.