What Can You Feed Birds: Best Foods for Birds and How to Feed Safely
Let’s set the scene: A few birds visit your yard, and before long, you’re thinking about putting out food for them. In that same moment, you may start wondering: what can you feed birds safely?
What you feed matters, as not all seeds, fruits, and food scraps are created equal. To avoid harming your backyard visitors, it’s important to understand the best foods for birds and which foods are most likely to attract them for an even more lively bird-watching experience.
To help you learn what can you feed wild birds, this guide outlines which foods different species prefer, which foods to avoid, and how to feed birds safely throughout the year.
What Can You Feed Birds? The Best Foods for Birds by Type
When comparing the foods of birds, it helps to break them into three main groups, each suited for different species and seasons.
1. Seeds: The Foundation of Backyard Bird Feeding
Seeds are a primary food source for many birds. However, choosing high-quality seed mixes is important, as cheap blends or those with “stuffers” that aren’t desirable can prevent birds from visiting your yard.
High-quality seed, when matched with the right species, however, can be one of the best foods for birds. Here’s what you should know:
- Black oil sunflower seeds: These seeds have the broadest appeal, attracting birds like cardinals, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, jays, mourning doves, and nuthatches.
- Sunflower hearts and chips: Sunflower hearts and chips are no-mess and packed with high-energy fats and oils, perfect for finches, cardinals, and bluebirds.
- Safflower: This is a high-protein choice for cardinals, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, and doves, serving as a naturally squirrel-resistant option.
- Nyjer/thistle: Supports bird health and vitality and is enjoyed by finches, sparrows, and more.
- White proso millet: Suitable for ground-feeding birds and platform feeders, including sparrows, juncos, and doves.
2. Suet, Mealworms, and High-Protein Extras
Protein-rich foods, like the ones listed below, are also among the best foods for the birds. They’re especially valuable in cold months and during breeding season. This includes:
- Suet cakes: These high-energy cakes are often mixed with various ingredients, supporting protein-rich and high-energy diets. They commonly attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, and wrens.
- Dried or live mealworms: Another high-protein treat, mealworms are enjoyed by robins, bluebirds, and thrushes, among others.
- Peanuts: Inshelled Peanuts and Shelled Peanuts are a great snack for backyard birds, but salted or flavored versions can be harmful to their health.
3. Fruit and Kitchen Scraps
Have some food scraps that you don’t want to throw away?
They can make a great snack for birds when chosen carefully. Foods like fresh or dried fruit are especially appealing to species such as robins, waxwings, and thrushes. Apples, berries, raisins, and grapes are all popular options when offered in small, manageable pieces.
That said, not every kitchen scrap is bird-friendly. Bread, for instance, can fill birds up without providing much nutritional value and may contribute to developmental issues in young birds with repeated exposure. Chocolate and highly processed snacks, like chips or crackers, should also be avoided due to their salt, sugar, and additive content.
Matching the Food to the Bird: Which Species Prefer What
So, what do you feed a bird?
While we’ve already covered some of the different types of food and the birds that enjoy them, understanding what birds eat also means choosing the right feeder for each species.
American Goldfinches, for example, are especially fond of nyjer seed and sunflower hearts, which are best offered in tube feeders with small ports designed for smaller birds. Northern Cardinals prefer sunflower seeds and safflower, often visiting hopper or platform feeders where they have enough space to perch comfortably.
Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees enjoy sunflower hearts, peanut pieces, and safflower seeds, typically feeding from tube or hopper feeders. Meanwhile, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are attracted to suet, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, making suet feeders and mesh peanut feeders excellent choices for these species.
Ground-feeding birds like Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows are more likely to visit when white proso millet is scattered on the ground or placed in a tray feeder.
For fruit- and insect-loving birds such as Eastern Bluebirds and American Robins, mealworms and fruit served in open dish or tray feeders can be especially appealing. Blue Jays, on the other hand, are known for enjoying whole in-shell peanuts and sunflower seeds, often favoring platform feeders or mesh peanut feeders that can accommodate their larger size.
Matching the right food and feeder to specific species can make all the difference in creating a more active backyard. Old Potters’ range of bird seed and feeding options can help support a variety of birds with foods tailored to their feeding preferences.
Foods to Never Feed Birds: What Causes Real Harm
In addition to answering “what can you feed birds,” you should also know what not to feed them. While most feeding mistakes come from good intentions, the following foods should be avoided:
- Salted seeds, nuts, or crackers: Salty foods are not good food for the birds. Since birds’ kidneys can’t process excess sodium, these foods can lead to sodium toxicity, causing dehydration and kidney failure even in small amounts.
- Bread, pastry, and processed foods: These are all empty calories and can promote rapid mold growth in feeders. In fact, low-nutrient diets with too many breads and processed foods can increase the risk of “angel wing” deformity in waterfowl.
- Avocado, onion, and garlic: Feeding birds these foods can be harmful. Persin, found in avocado, is toxic to birds, while alliums in foods like onions and garlic can cause oxidative damage to red blood cells.
- Moldy or stale seed: Moldy foods put birds at risk of aflatoxin exposure, which can lead to illness or even death in wildlife. Below, we provide tips for keeping feed fresh.
- Commercially flavored or sweetened foods: These should also be avoided. For instance, artificial sweeteners like xylitol in processed foods can be acutely toxic to birds.
Seasonal Feeding: Adjusting What You Offer Through the Year
A big mistake both beginner and experienced birdwatchers make is using the same feed year-round. This is because birds’ nutritional needs shift with the seasons.
While winter demands calorie-dense foods for thermoregulation, spring and summer call for protein to support breeding and fledgling growth.
1. What to Feed Birds in Winter: High-Fat, High-Calorie Foods
Cold climates require birds to consume more calories to maintain body temperature. This makes suet, peanuts, and black oil sunflower seeds some of the most effective winter foods.
Pro tip: Feeders should be kept consistently filled, as birds quickly learn which food sources are reliable and may depend on them during periods of extreme cold.
2. Spring and Summer: Protein for Breeding Season
During spring and summer, feeding birds means focusing more on protein-rich foods that support breeding, nesting, and fledgling growth. Mealworms are especially valuable for parent birds feeding nestlings, as the insect protein closely mirrors their natural diet.
Fresh fruit can also help attract returning migrants like thrushes, orioles, and waxwings, while nyjer seed remains effective throughout goldfinch breeding season.
Pro tip: Feeder hygiene becomes even more important in warmer weather, as heat and humidity can speed up mold growth and spoil uneaten food more quickly.
Feeder Types and Safe Feeding Practices
You can have the highest-quality food on the market, but if it isn’t fresh or paired with the right feeder, it may go uneaten. To avoid wasted effort and better understand what can you feed birds, we’ve outlined feeder types alongside some of the best foods for birds.
1. Matching Feeder to Food
Different feeder types are designed to support different foods and bird species, so choosing the right setup can make feeding birds far more effective. Tube feeders with small ports, for example, work especially well for nyjer seed and sunflower hearts, attracting smaller birds like goldfinches, siskins, and chickadees.
Hopper and platform feeders are more versatile and can hold mixed seed blends, sunflower seeds, and safflower, making them popular with cardinals, jays, and sparrows. Mesh and peanut feeders are ideal for offering whole peanuts or peanut pieces, which are favorites among woodpeckers, jays, and nuthatches.
For birds that prefer high-energy foods, suet cages are a reliable choice. Filled with suet cakes, they commonly attract woodpeckers, wrens, and nuthatches. Ground tray feeders or scattered white millet are especially appealing to ground-feeding species like juncos, sparrows, and doves.
Meanwhile, dish and tray feeders are well suited for mealworms, helping attract insect-eating birds such as bluebirds, robins, and thrushes.
2. Freshness, Storage, and Aflatoxin: The Safety Risk Most Feeders Miss
Stale, damp, or mold-contaminated seeds can increase the risk of aflatoxin, a naturally occurring mycotoxin harmful to birds and mammals.
There are multiple things you can do to reduce this risk, such as:
- Buying in smaller quantities
- Storing feed in a sealed container
- Keeping feed in a cool, dry place
- Removing uneaten seed after 2 to 3 days
- Replacing feed more often in hot or rainy weather
- Discarding anything that smells musty or looks discolored
We also recommend cleaning feeders with a dilute bleach solution (9 parts water to 1 part bleach), rinsing them thoroughly, and repeating this process at least monthly, or more often in summer.
And don’t forget about clean water, as it’s just as important as clean food. Bird baths and water dishes should also be cleaned regularly to help prevent the spread of bacteria and disease among visiting birds.
If you want more information on the best place to set up your feeder, check out our wildlife and bird feeding guide.
And if you want to keep your backyard birds well-fed year-round, explore Old Potters’ wildlife feed collection for quality seed blends and feeding options tailored to a variety of species.
Quick Summary: The Best Foods for Birds and What to Avoid
The best foods for birds are fresh, unsalted, and matched to the species you want to attract. This can include a variety of seeds, high-protein options like suet and mealworms, and even certain fruits and kitchen scraps when offered safely.
And remember: quality matters. Choosing non-GMO, US-grown seed with minimal fillers can help support healthier feeding habits and attract a wider variety of birds.
At Old Potters, we understand that different birds prefer different foods, which is why we offer a wide range of feed options tailored to a variety of species and feeding styles. Browse our wildlife feed collection to find quality seed blends and feeding solutions for your backyard birds.