Feeding Wild Birds — Quick Tips on Seed Types and Suet

Summer Tanager perched on a seed feeder alongside smaller birds

Starting with our best advice: "Do not feed seed mixes."

Many mixes contain large quantities of inexpensive seeds eaten by few birds. One of the most common mixes sold in grocery and hardware stores is 90% millet and 10% black-oil sunflower. One of the most common feeder species, the House Finch, does not eat millet. These birds will throw out millet looking for the black-oil sunflower. The large quantities of millet attract House Sparrows (a less desirable species). Ground-feeding birds do like millet but generally cannot consume the seed fast enough so much of it either rots on the ground or sprouts.

Seed is best offered in single types only.

Hulled Sunflower (Sunflower Chips)

This is the best seed to feed as it is eaten by all species. There is no shell to collect on the ground and spilt seed is cleaned up daily. Rats and squirrels find little seed to attract them. The cost is higher but you are not buying shell.

Peanuts

Peanuts (raw are best; roasted ones are okay; save the salted ones for yourself) with or without the shells are excellent but should only be used in peanut feeders, which prevent birds from getting whole nuts. Larger birds such as Jays will remove all the peanuts from a tray and store them. Peanuts in tray-type feeders also attract rats and squirrels. On the West Coast, peanut feeders should be placed under cover so they don't get wet. Spoiled peanuts can be fatal to birds so must be kept dry. To prevent spoilage, store them in a cool dry place. Clean your feeders before refilling, and don't mix new stock with old. If the weather is above freezing, fill your feeders only with what the birds will eat in a day.

Black-oil Sunflower and Striped Sunflower

Black-oil sunflower seeds are high in fat and energy, making them excellent food for a wide variety of species including chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. Their shells are thinner than those of Striped Sunflower and easier for most birds to crack open. Even so, some smaller-billed birds have trouble and will throw out seeds looking for ones they can open — Pine Siskins are notorious for this. Some ground feeders such as Juncos also struggle with the shell. Striped Sunflower is lower in oil than Black-oil.

Black-oil sunflower seeds piled on a feeder ledge — Balcony garden 20140921 by Pussreboots is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

White and Yellow Millet, Canary Seed

These seeds are excellent for ground feeders such as Dark-eyed ("Oregon") Juncos, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, House Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees. Place the seed in a covered feeder or under cover where ground-feeding species feel safer and will remain longer to feed. Generally, only the House Sparrows will use a tube feeder; the others will not. Since many ground feeders have a scratching action when feeding, it is best to place this seed in a feeder where they cannot get their feet into the seed. If this seed is spread on the soil, it will be buried by the scratching action and sprout.

Red Millet

Red millet is lower nutritionally than white and is used in cheaper mixes to provide colour appeal to the human buyer.

Nyjer (also sold as Niger or Thistle)

This seed attracts American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and House Finches. Grown in Africa and India (which accounts for its higher cost), it has been heat-treated to prevent sprouting. Use only a specialised feeder with small ports, which dispenses seed economically and allows birds to pick each seed individually.

Rapeseed

Rapeseed is a small dark round seed found in some mixes. It appears to be eaten mainly by ground feeders.

Cracked Corn

Corn is lower nutritionally and in fat content than other seeds. It is used as filler in low cost mixes. If it is too fine, it will plug feeder ports.

Sorghum

Sorghum is a large round seed eaten by large ground-feeding birds such as Pheasants, Quail, and Band-tailed Pigeons. It is generally added to mixed seed.

Wheat

Wheat can be used to feed large ground-feeding birds such as Pheasants, Quail, and Band-tailed Pigeons. If Band-tailed Pigeons are a nuisance at a feeder, they can generally be lured away to another spot by using wheat.

Oats and Groats

Groats are oats with the husk removed. Oats are sometimes added to cheaper mixes and are the same nutritionally as wheat. Oats (with husk) are generally not preferred by large ground-feeding birds, as the husk is sharp-ended and is only eaten when no other seed is available.

Safflower

When squirrels are eating the sunflower seed, Safflower is sometimes used as a replacement. It is very bitter so is not preferred by squirrels, yet birds will eat it. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be a long-term solution to keep squirrels out of the seed as squirrels can develop a taste for it.

Hemp Seed

Hemp seed is now widely available and well worth offering. It is oily and nutritious; goldfinches and siskins take it readily. The seed is on the larger side, so smaller birds with fine bills may have some difficulty shelling it.

Flax

Sometimes found in mixes, this seed forms a jelly-like coating when wet. If it gets wet in a feeder, the seeds stick and "gum up" the feeding ports.

Suet

Suet can come with various seed, insect, and fruit ingredients. Many of these ingredients are filler and would not be eaten by birds if offered by themselves. Millet, corn, and oats are commonly used and are not eaten by suet-eating birds that generally prefer seeds high in oil such as sunflower and peanuts. Suet with insects and fruit is excellent but costs more than those with oily seeds. Some suet even has flavouring which is totally unnecessary. If you have House Sparrows eating suet, then you have a problem because they do not eat suet but will eat the large amounts of millet some suet has as filler.

Suet should be placed away from the seed feeder so there are fewer disturbances for Woodpeckers and Bushtits. Some larger species (Jays) will displace smaller species if there is an opportunity, so it makes sense to separate feeding stations. In coastal areas where the climate is mild, use wire holders for suet to prevent it from coming in contact with wood surfaces as the suet will melt into the wood (unless sealed with a non-toxic sealer) and turn rancid.

If Starlings and Jays discover the suet, there are feeders that will exclude them. These feeders require birds to hang upside down, which Jays and Starlings do poorly. Some newer ones have wire screen to keep out larger birds.

Northern Flicker clinging to a suet cage feeder in falling snow — He likes the suet better than the peanuts by Felip1 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Mealworms

Live or dried mealworms attract insectivorous species that rarely visit seed feeders, including robins, bluebirds, wrens, and chickadees. Live mealworms are more effective than dried ones, though dried mealworms are easier to store and widely available. Offer them in a shallow dish or tray with smooth sides to prevent live ones from escaping. During nesting season they are especially valuable as a protein source for adults feeding young.

Bark Butter

Bark butter is a soft, spreadable fat blend — similar to suet but with a buttery texture — that can be smeared directly onto rough tree bark or placed in a dedicated bark butter feeder. It attracts a wide variety of species that forage on bark surfaces, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and creepers. It is available commercially and can be made at home from a blend of rendered fat and peanut butter.

Last updated: May 2026