Birds burn tons of calories to keep warm when the temperature drops. Good news for you, there's no need to buy any specialty items to help them get through the winter months. Here are 8 birds pantry staples that can mean the difference between life and death for the birds in your backyard this winter.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceBlack Oil Sunflower Seeds
Save this article for later so you don't lose it. Enter your email and I'll send it to you now—plus you'll get my favorite backyard birding tips delivered to your inbox.
The best type of bird seed to use during the winter months is black oil sunflower seeds, and it is easy to see why. They have a high fat content which provides a high number of calories which birds need to survive the extreme cold. Their shells are also quite thin which means that the birds will be able to easily crack them even though they are low on energy. These seeds attract birds like cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, and finches. The best way to see the most activity at your feeders is to use these seeds in a hopper or a tube feeder. During a polar vortex, birds need to be able to access the food, so if you are able to, refill the feeders twice a day.
Peanuts
Shelled, unsalted peanuts provide protein and fat to help birds generate body heat during the cold winter months. Woodpeckers, jays, and nuthatches are especially attracted to peanuts and will store them away for later, which is a good strategy for survival during long cold spells. You can put peanuts in platform feeders (whole peanuts) or in mesh feeders (chopped peanuts). Peanuts can be raw or roasted as long as there is no salt or flavoring added. Avoid peanuts that have seasoning or any added ingredients. A small amount of plain peanuts can feed a nest of chickadees through harsh winter weather.
Suet or Beef Fat
Suet, or pure beef fat, is a great source of energy during very cold weather. For birds, such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees, it is very important because it provides energy to survive cold nights. Place your raw beef fat trimmings in a cage or mesh bag with suet to feed birds during the polar vortex. Many birds will go to suet feeders multiple times a day to prepare for the nighttime. Even unseasoned and unsalted scraps of kitchen fat provide energy to birds when they need lots of calories.
Get our free Hummingbird Attraction Guide! Plus, we'll send you our best tips for attracting more birds to your yard.
Nyjer Thistle Seeds
Nyjer seeds are full of oil and proteins that help small finches survive the intense and extreme cold. Goldfinches, redpolls, and pine siskins rely on these seeds when their natural food sources are covered with snow and ice. Make sure to use a special tube feeder with small openings to keep the seeds dry and accessible. During times of polar vortex conditions, finches will feed heavily from morning until dusk to store as much fat as possible to help them survive cold,f freezing nights. Fresh nyjer seeds will make a huge difference as old or stale seeds will be rejected by finches even when they are desperate.
Cracked Corn
DIY bird seed blends – feeder friendly, not ground feeding. Corn is your friend, and does a terrific job of feeding ground feeding birds like doves, juncos and cardinals when they need extra carbohydrates to keep warm. Cracked corn is also inexpensive, light, and easy to store. With a small polar vortex. Consider feeding cracked corn at the base of evergreens for shelter. It will keep the ground feeding birds warm. Cracked corn is also inexpensive, light, and easy to store, aesthetically pleasing.
Millet
Small round millet seeds attract a wonderful variety of ground feeding birds including native sparrows, juncos, and towhees who are in dire need of assistance when the polar vortex hits. While millet seeds are lower in fat than sunflower seeds, they provide good nutrition and still provide energy. You can mix millet with cracked corn and add it to your platform feeders, or you can scatter it in places where the smaller birds can feel more protected and safe. While white proso millet is preferred, you are welcome to use any millet from your pantry in a pinch. Many birders during extreme cold conditions often ignore millet seeds, however, for sparrow species that are trying to get by in subzero temperatures, millet seeds offer a reliable and available supply of energy.
Oats
The unprocessed oats that you have stored in your pantry, are a great source of food for birds during stressful winter months. Both rolled and steel-cut oats are great sources of carbohydrates, which birds need to generate heat. You can place them on platform feeders or sprinkle them on the grass to attract juncos, sparrows, and other birds that feed on the ground. While oats are not as calorie dense as bird food that has a lot of fat, every food source is needed. When food is scarce during a polar vortex, different species of birds will need to eat diverse types of food. Just use plain oats that do not contain any added sugar, salt, or flavors that would harm birds.
Safflower Seeds
Safflower seed have an unusual liason during an emergency winter feeding situation: squirrels and blackbirds do not eat these seeds which allows the seeds to stay available for other birds that need food. These seeds are high in fat and protein which are essential for a bird's survival during the cold months, which is something cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice all eat. The white safflower seeds are slightly bitter, a taste that custards many undesirable birds but keeps the aggressive ones away. They're great at and tube feeders and you most certainly will notice that during extreme weather conditions, cardinals enjoy eating them. If your pantry has safflower seeds, you should certainly use those seeds in the winter feeding situation, because during these uncommon events, the birds could really use the energy.
