When temperatures plummet and a polar vortex settles in, wild birds burn through calories at an alarming rate just to stay warm. The good news?
Two Leak-Proof Feeders, Zero Ants & Bees
Check PriceYou don’t need specialty items to help them survive. These eight pantry staples can make the difference between life and death for winter birds in your backyard.
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Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
There are two kinds of sunflower seeds that you can put out for birds: black oil sunflower and striped sunflower. Black oil seeds are more common seeds that have thin shells that most birds can crack open, while striped seeds have thicker shells that are difficult for certain birds, including blackbirds and sparrows, to crack open, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The two are pretty similar in price. One consideration when feeding these seeds during the winter is how much energy they will provide for the birds.
Keeping this in mind, black oil sunflower seeds are often an ideal winter bird seed choice.
Peanuts
Yes, birds can have peanuts. The Humane Society suggests feeding peanuts to adult birds in autumn and winter.
Birds need extra calories in the colder seasons, and peanuts fit the bill with extra fat and protein. Birds can eat peanuts safely, whole or peanut pieces, shelled or unshelled.
Just don’t offer roasted peanuts; these aren’t safe because they’re either roasted in oil or dry roasted in salt. Shelled peanuts can be offered in a hopper feeder or on a platform feeder.
Remember that peanuts need to be kept clean and dry and checked often for spoilage.
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Suet or Beef Fat
Suet is a type of bird food that is made from fat, typically beef or pork fat. This high-energy food is perfect for birds in the winter when they need extra calories to stay warm.
Suet is the raw, hard fat of beef, lamb, or mutton found around the loins or kidneys. In the sense of feeding birds, this fat is taken and used to make a solid cake, usually mixed with seeds and grains, for the birds to eat.
Woodpeckers love suet, as do birds like nuthatches and chickadees. It’s very high in fat content, so it gives birds a lot of energy to power through cold weather and days when food is scarce.
Nyjer Thistle Seeds
American goldfinches are especially fond of thistle seeds (aka. nyjer seed), which is why some backyard birding enthusiasts have developed special thistle feeders to attract them and other finches to gardens.
You may see a few pine siskins visiting your backyard bird feeder if you stock up on millet, thistle, or nyjer seeds. Remember, their beaks are quite small and can’t handle larger seeds.
Cracked Corn
Cracked corn is more easily consumed by a broader range of birds. However, it is often used to bulk out feeds placed in hanging bird feeders, and since many birds that eat cracked corn are ground feeders, it might be best to stick to seeds in a feeder and scatter cracked corn on the ground.
Cracked corn is cheap and often used as filler for birdseed mixes. Despite its cost-effective quality, cracked corn is rich in protein and fiber and high in carbohydrates that will attract many different types of birds.
Millet
White proso millet is a high-protein seed that is a favorite food among ground-feeding birds. Doves, juncos, towhees, and sparrows are some of the common birds that prefer millet.
Most millet that birds prefer is white proso millet, but you may find golden or red millet as filler seeds in your pre-packaged mixes. Feel free to skip these ingredients if you’re mixing your own seed, as they aren’t likely to be popular for your target audience.
Oats
In most situations, uncooked porridge oats are a delicious treat that many birds enjoy. After all, the oats you purchase in the grocery store or from a wild bird store are not that different from the oats that birds encounter in the wild.
There are so many options! And all of them are a fine option for birds!
Just remember that these are all safe options when they are raw. It is cooked oats that create a problem for birds.
Safflower Seeds
Clean out your feeders well and then fill them with safflower seed only. Some birds love safflower, including cardinals, chickadees, and nuthatches, but most don’t, including starlings and some blackbirds.
Like sunflower seeds, safflower seeds are a popular bird seed ingredient that has a hard shell. Some people say that less desirable wildlife such as European starlings and squirrels often don’t care for safflower, but in some locations they have started to eat it, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Pantry foods for a polar vortex
| Food | What our writers say |
|---|---|
| Black oil sunflower | Thin black shells most birds can crack; high energy in winter |
| Striped sunflower | Thicker shells that some blackbirds and sparrows cannot open |
| Peanuts | Humane Society suggests them for adults in autumn and winter |
| Peanut safety | Whole or pieces, shelled or unshelled; not oil- or salt-roasted |
| Peanut storage | Keep clean and dry and check often for spoilage |
| Suet | Hard fat from around beef, lamb, or mutton loins or kidneys |
| Who uses suet | Woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees in cold weather |
| Nyjer | Thistle seed in special feeders for goldfinches and other finches |
| Cracked corn | Cheap, high in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates; better on the ground |
| Millet | White proso is the favorite; skip golden or red filler millet |
| Oats | Uncooked porridge oats only; cooked oats are the problem |
| Safflower | Cardinals, chickadees, and nuthatches like it; many starlings do not |
