Backyard bird food guide
Different birds like different foods. Here's what common backyard foods attract, which feeder to use, and what to keep out of your feeders altogether.
| Food | Attracts | Feeder | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black oil sunflower | Chickadees, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, finches | Tube, hopper or platform | The best all-rounder |
| Nyjer (thistle) | Goldfinches and other small finches | Tube with small ports or a mesh sock | Goes stale; buy small amounts |
| Safflower | Cardinals, chickadees, doves | Hopper or platform | Squirrels and some blackbirds like it less |
| White proso millet | Juncos, sparrows, doves | Platform or scattered on the ground | Clean up uneaten seed |
| Suet | Woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, wrens | Suet cage | Use no-melt suet in hot weather |
| Peanuts, unsalted | Jays, woodpeckers, titmice | Peanut feeder or platform | Never salted or flavored |
| Nectar (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) | Hummingbirds | Nectar feeder | No dye or honey; change every few days |
| Orange halves and grape jelly | Orioles, catbirds | Fruit or jelly feeder | Small amounts; clean often |
| Mealworms | Bluebirds, wrens, robins | Shallow dish | Dried or live |
Keep out of your feeders
- Bread and baked goods
- Salted or seasoned foods
- Cheap mixes full of red millet and fillers
- Moldy or wet seed
- Honey or red dye in nectar
General information. Birds vary by region and season. In bear country, follow your state wildlife agency's advice, which often means taking feeders down from spring through fall.
Good feeding habits
Clean
Scrub feeders about every two weeks.
Dry
Store seed sealed and throw out wet or moldy seed.
Placed
Within 3 feet of windows, or beyond 30.
Cover
Near shrubs, so birds can escape predators.
Read which seed to buy and hummingbird feeders, or estimate your costs with the bird feeder cost calculator.