8 Non-Seed Wild Bird Foods For The Bird Feeder (2024)

FAQs

What can I feed wild birds without seeds? ›

Other bird seed alternatives to offer to birds include fruit and vegetable seeds, dried fruits, peanut butter and/or jelly, apples, pears, nuts, and unbuttered popcorn.

Black oil sunflower seed appeals to the greatest number of birds. Offer sunflower seeds, nyjer (thistle) seeds, and peanuts in separate feeders. When using blends, choose mixtures containing sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn—the three most popular types of birdseed.

Black oil sunflower seed is considered the best all-around for feeding birds. Photo by Susan Spear/Cornell Lab. The seed that attracts the widest variety of birds, and so the mainstay for most backyard bird feeders, is sunflower.

Birds can eat Cheerios and often love to do so. But that does not mean that they are the healthiest choice for birds (or even for us!). Their high sugar content and salt content mean that they are not the best option if you are looking for foods to share with the birds.

Try a Variety of Bird Feed

Cracked corn is available in large bags at your local feed store. Another inexpensive bird food is chicken scratch. A variety of small birds love it, and it's such a bargain. Check out your local feed stores, they are in general cheaper than pet stores.

Black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins and currants, mild grated cheese, mealworms, waxworms, mixes for insectivorous birds, good seed mixtures without loose peanuts, RSPB food bars and summer seed mixture are all good foods to provide.

Your bird's diet should include a variety of fresh vegetables. Most birds love dark, leafy greens, zucchini and broccoli, as well as other vegetables such as squash, shredded carrots, snow peas, parsley, cucumbers and Romaine lettuce.

Water is incredibly inexpensive and one of the best ways to attract a wider variety of birds to your yard. While not every bird will need the food you offer, they do all need water for one reason or another!

“They love it,” she said. “I occasionally give them small amounts of various dry cereals like Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran as treats.”

What will attract birds to a bird feeder? ›

Offer a Variety of Foods to Attract Birds to Feeders

Feeders full of seeds, suet, sugar water and fruit, such as oranges and grape jelly, will delight your winged guests. Also, consider hanging different styles of feeders around your garden to boost the appeal.

Shelled nuts, sunflower hearts and suet are all options that create less mess.” Look for feeders that have trays on the bottom to capture any debris. You can also consider installing a seed hoop.

Any item the bird can eat (Seeds, Fruits, Vegetables, or Meat) will restore full hunger value to the bird.

Millet and sunflower seed is often chosen preferentially. Owners will often also offer a millet spray or branch. This, of course, is more of the same seed and leads to further malnutrition. Honey Sticks are often offered, but once again, they contain more seeds that are stuck together with sugar and honey.

Are Marshmallows Good for Birds? Marshmallows might not hurt wild birds, but that doesn't mean they're good for them either. A marshmallow has a high sugar content and contains little else. It doesn't have much to offer nutritionally.

Yes, you can feed birds oatmeal. In fact, due to oatmeal being small in size, similar to bird seed and full of protein, they are an ideal food option. Oats are an essential nutrient to a birds diet come winter.

Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “We discourage people from feeding bread to birds, as there are far too many potential risks. If moldy, bread can be dangerous to birds.

What is the easiest pet bird to keep? The cheapest pet bird on our list is also the easiest to keep because Budgies are low-maintenance and require less feed. Even if they can be prone to several avian diseases (like other birds) and be slightly destructive, a healthy diet and training can eliminate those cons.

Apples, crabapples, pears, and oranges are popular foods for jays, waxwings, woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse and pheasants. Small black oil seeds are best. Hulled sunflower seeds are attractive to birds, though costly. Popular with many birds, but especially finches.

Research has found that the colors birds eat most are bright colors. Hummingbirds, for instance, gravitate toward the color red—it may remind them of flowers they suck the nectar from. Fruits are also very popular with birds not only because they are soft and nutritious, but because they are bright and attractive.

Is popcorn good for birds? ›

Many types of birds can eat popcorn kernels. It's also fine to feed birds popcorn that has been popped. Whether unpopped or popped, popcorn is full of fibre and low in sugar. Therefore, it's a nutritious treat that you can offer to your visiting birds.

Typically birds like to eat early in the morning so that is when they will be looking for food. Your bird feeder should be full at dawn so the birds will find it first thing when they are searching. If you don't want to get up before dawn to fill your bird feeder you can fill it the night before.

Chicks that have not yet opened their eyes may take 5-6 feedings per day (every 3-4 hours). Once birds' eyes open, they can have 3-5 feedings (one every 5 hours). As their feathers start to grow in, they may be fed 2-3 times per day (every 6 hours). Their crops should appear full when they're done.

The classic choice is stale bread, crusts, cake and biscuit which most birds will really enjoy, although you shouldn't put out too much as the nutritional value is low. Break up any large pieces, and if it's very hard you can soak in a little water to ensure birds don't choke.

In general, yes. Raw porridge oats are safe for species of birds. In most situations, uncooked porridge oats are a delicious treat that many birds enjoy.

Don't use soap or a detergent. You can also clean hummingbird feeders by filling with a dilute bleach solution, but make sure to rinse them thoroughly and allow them to air dry before refilling.

While no color will specifically discourage birds from your yard, having too much white could keep a few birds away. "This probably stems from the stark contrast between white and the surrounding environment," explains Mulvihill.

Clorox wipes are handy for tube feeder ports and hard to reach spots. Be sure to rinse and dry thoroughly before refilling. Keeping the ground below the feeders maintained is also a good idea. A significant build-up of shells and seed can present problems, again, worse when it's wet.

The simple answer to this question is yes, birds can eat jello. In fact, many birds enjoy eating jello and other gelatinous foods. For birds, eating jello can help to improve their plumage and increase their energy levels. In addition, jello is a good source of protein, which is an essential part of a bird's diet.

Can you give ice cream to birds? ›

Things like milk and ice cream or heavy cream are those types of dairy to have too much lactose in them and they're not recommended for birds.

Bird feeders are best hung in a place where your visiting birds feel safe from predators. Most important: Avoid open and noisy areas and hang your bird feeders at eye level or a little above. Do not hang feeders too close to any place where squirrels can jump on them, or too low they are within a cat's reach.

Favorite Foods: Black oil sunflower, striped sunflower, sunflower hearts & chips, millet, safflower, cracked corn, peanuts, milo, mealworms, fruit, and suet.

Chickadees, nuthatches, some woodpeckers, jays, and crows store, or “cache,” food. Many other feeder birds—doves, sparrows, blackbirds, finches, etc. —do not store food at all. Those that do store food may hide hundreds, or even thousands, of seeds every year.

Stock your feeder with calorie-dense seed such as black oil sunflower seed and suet – you can even add mealworms to switch things up if you like! Suet is a high-energy food source that birds such as woodpeckers and chickadees really love, and is an important food source in cold weather.

Spinach and other types of leafy green vegetables such as romaine lettuce and kale are also wonderful additions to any pet bird's healthy diet. 2 Not only do most birds love to eat these healthy veggies, but they are also full of nutrients and antioxidants that can boost your bird's immune system.

This Premium High Energy Mix contains sunflower hearts, peanut granules, white millet, kibbled maize, pinhead oats, canary seed, oil seed rape and red millet. High energy sunflower hearts and chopped peanuts make up the bulk of this year-round favourite. Contains no wheat.

Broadly speaking, seeds such as millet are their favorite staple foods, though lovebirds will probably eat many different varieties of seeds. They also love fresh fruit, especially kiwi, figs, plums, grapes, watermelons, and citrus.

What do love birds like to chew? ›

These birds are very active, flying and climbing about, gnawing on wood or chew toys, and grooming themselves all day. They love toys of all kinds such as seed bells, swings, ladders, mirrors, shiny objects, and wooden gnaws. They are natural paper shredders, so be sure to provide them with dye-free paper to play with.

A wide variety of plants can nurture backyard birds: Nectar-rich flowers like bee balm, salvia and lupine are magnets for hummingbirds. Seed-bearing blooms, including coneflowers and cosmos, attract finches, sparrows, doves and quail.

Yes, birds can eat porridge oats, but they need to be dry – cooked (or wet) and they will stick to and set around birds' beaks.

Many types of birds can eat popcorn kernels. It's also fine to feed birds popcorn that has been popped. Whether unpopped or popped, popcorn is full of fibre and low in sugar. Therefore, it's a nutritious treat that you can offer to your visiting birds.

Bird seed mixtures

The better mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds and peanut granules. Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves, while flaked maize is taken readily by blackbirds.

“They love it,” she said. “I occasionally give them small amounts of various dry cereals like Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran as treats.”

Yes, birds can eat DRY Quaker oats. Quaker oats are a nutritious food source for birds with a minimal amount of preservatives added.

Will rats go away if I stop feeding birds? ›

If after limiting feed you are still noticing rats, try taking your bird feeders down for 60 days. This should disrupt the rats' reproductive cycle and force them away. Unfortunately, rats cannot be kept out of your backyard.

Apply a pepper-based repellent product, such as Critter Ridder® spray, directly to your feeders to keep them away from your offerings. Squirrels hate the taste and smell, but birds don't notice it. Cover poles: Adding layers of plastic tubing around poles may sometimes deter squirrels.

Dog poop attracts rodents.

“Dog waste is often a leading food source for rats in urban areas,” D'Aniello says. Although it is good that the waste is being eaten, it's definitely not ideal that dog poop that isn't picked up will likely attract both rats and mice, D'Aniello says.