Sweet Treats For Wild Birds

Wild birds, just as humans, have their favorite meals and their least favorite meals. Read on to find out what your feathered friends prefer at their feeding station. A good selection of bird treats and ample cover will attract a wide variety of birds.

Each and every wild bird has its own favorite meals, but the popular sunflower seeds are known to be the favorite among seed-eater birds. This is important information for bird enthusiasts who may want to attract a variety of wild birds to their backyard feeders. This explains why sunflower seed is the major ingredient in wild bird seed mixes.

There are many types of wild bird seed mixes for bird feeding, but the majority of mixing are not a favorite amid wild birds. There are three main hints for buying wild bird seed. The first tip is to look at the label. In present times, smart shoppers look at the food labels before purchasing it for their homes. Likewise, labels should be considered when purchasing seed mixes.

If you want to attract a variety of wild birds to your feeders, stay away from wild bird mixes that contain oats, cereals and/or “mixed grains.” Most wild birds dislike these ingredients. Another tip is to avoid fillers such as the mixed grains. Some bird seed mixes contain “filler” seeds, which add weight to the bag, but usually end up in a pile under your bird feeder because birds know what they like, and simply put, it’s not “fillers.”

Birds often brush their bills throughout their food and dump the seeds they don’t care for. Even birds that feed on the ground may disregard the spilled seed. One other thing to consider in purchasing wild bird seed is choosing clean bags of food.

Most bird seed is 94 to 95 percent clean, which may sound pretty clean, but a 40-pound bag of seed may include over two pounds of inedible material, which means more debris that will find its way to the ground. Some vendors are required to sift the bird seed three times to remove any empty shells, sticks, leaves and other debris which is commonly found in other vendors’ seed bags.

I hope you find this information helpful to you. In your quest to fill your bird feeders look for feed mixes that contain clean mixes without an excessive amount of filler. These are the basic tips on what your wild birds want and prefer. Take these three simple steps in consideration next time you purchase your wild bird seed and take notice at the increase in wild birds feeding at your feeders.

Author Ethan O. Tanner shares his knowledge on various feeding methods for wild birds and how to choose appropriate bird seed for your feeders.