For daily wit & wisdom, sign up for the Almanac newsletter.
During winter and early spring, when natural seed sources are scarcer, give some TLC to the birds. Tom Warren, our Almanac birder, listssome favoritefoods of winter birds across NorthAmerica.
Best Winter BirdFoods
Favorite winter bird foodsinclude:
- Sunflower
- Niger(Thistle)
- CrackedCorn
- Nuts &Fruit
See our chart on more wild bird food preferences.
ReadNext
“The little grain of wheat, tritucum, is the noblest food of man. The lesser grains of grasses are the food of passerine birds at present.Their diet is like man’s”.
–HenryDavidThoreau, Walden
Suet
Suet can be purchased inexpensively in the meat department at your local grocery store.Suet can be placed in containers purpose-built for bird feeding(they most often resemble a little cage).Almost all birds will eat suet, especially in cold weather.Most often you will see the Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers as well as chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice.See how to make suet.
Cracked Corn
A number of birds are ground feeders and will eat corn scattered on the ground; cardinals, sparrows, juncos, turkeys, and other birds will appeardaily.
Nuts
An expensivebut special treat, nuts provide much-needed protein, fats, and vitamins.Unshelled peanuts will be attractive to blue jays and woodpeckers, and will also provide entertainment as you watch smaller birds like chickadees and titmice attempt to reach the nutmeats inside the shell.Peanuts are a favorite of blackbirds, chickadees, jays, and sparrows.Peanut hearts are especiallyattractive.
Niger (Thistle seed)
Niger, commonly called thistle seed, is a very popular seed forfinches including redpolls, Pine Siskins, Goldfinches and PurpleFinches.
Fruit
Apples, crabapples, pears, and oranges are popular foods for jays, waxwings, woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse andpheasants.
Sunflower
Small black oil seeds are best.Hulled sunflower seeds are attractive to birds, though costly.Popular with many birds, but especiallyfinches.
At garden stores, pet shops, and numerous other stores, you can purchase seed mixes in bags from 10 to 50 pounds.Seeds will typically include sunflower, corn, millet, buckwheat, and othergrains.
You can also make your own birdfood.See homemade bird food recipes.
Red-bellied woodpecker at a suetfeeder.
Caution: Spoiled Bird Seed
Spoiled seed can be contaminated with mold, feces, fungus, and other chemicals.Mold and fungus can lead to birddiseases.
Old bird seed loses its nutritional value and should be discarded.Seed that is wet and lumpy should be removed from feeders.Maintain a seed inventory for only a few weeks and use large metal trash cans with tight covers to storeseed.
Bird FeedingLocations
During periods of severe winter storms, snow and freezing rain, clearing an area on the ground near cover of bushes or forest can be life-saving for manyspecies.
Feeders can be placed on poles, hung by wires from tree limbs, or placed on gutters so that they are just feet from windows, preferably in south-facinglocations.
See more about choosing the right birdfeeder.
Fill your feeders before impending storms and then watch the feeding party that follows! What food do you put out for birds in thewinter?
