Cardinals will visit your backyard frequently if they find a reliable source of food. Daily visits can happen if they find food that they love. Providing food that cardinals like will bring these birds to your yard and set up a cardinal headquarters.
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If you want cardinals to visit your feeder, you need to offer them black oil sunflower seeds. Black oil sunflower seeds are easier for birds to crack open, and they are high in oil, and protein which cardinals love. They are frequent visitors to feeders that offer black oil sunflower seeds. Use non-swinging feeders that offer space for cardinals to perch, as they prefer these to swinging feeders. Keep your supply fresh – cardinals will skip your feeder if they detect low quality seeds. Black oil sunflower seeds are essential for cardinals in winter – they do not migrate and need to rely on feeders that are stocked throughout the winter.
Safflower Seeds
Safflower seeds are a top choice for bird feeders. And since they are slightly bitter, most squirrels and blackbirds will leave them alone! That said, safflower seeds are a great option for attracting cardinals. These seeds are white and have a tough outer shell that cardinals can easily crack open with their strong beaks. The seeds also provide plenty of nourishment with a good amount of protein and fats. Since black oil sunflower seeds are often mixed in with feeder bird food, this will help to attract cardinals even more. If your bird feeder has a larger opening with a larger port, you can also use safflower seeds in the feeder. Since most birds will avoid the safflower seeds, the cardinals can eat them undisturbed. You can also mix safflower seeds in with sunflower seeds to create a cardinal-friendly seed blend.
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Crushed Peanuts
Peanuts, either crushed or shelled, fuel cardinals during the breeding season and winter. The protein in these foods helps these birds build strength to care for their young and keep their feathers looking good. Give them unsalted, roasted peanuts, and chop them into small pieces — whole peanuts are too big for the birds to handle. Peanut feeders and platform feeders will work for cardinals since they provide a place for the birds to perch. They are often seen visiting the peanut feeders in the mornings and afternoons. A feeding station designed for just cardinals may reduce the competition so cardinals can eat without feeding jays. Just keep in mind, more wildlife will join the cardinals at the feeders — including jays, squirrels, and other wildlife.
White Proso Millet
Millets are a good source of food for cardinals. They feed on proso millet as easily as they feed on ground feeding birds. Because of the small seed size, cardinals have no problems handling and digesting it. This makes the seed a good supplement to even larger seed types. During winter and migration periods, cardinals seek out millet as a source of quick energy. Millet seeds are a cheap source of energy. With a small budget, a large supply of seeds can be provided. The cardinals natural foraging behavior means they will search and feed on seeds on the ground as they would in a forest. Place cardinals millet in cover as cardinals feed there. It is important to make sure there is no millet that will be there for more than two days to prevent attracting mice and flies.
Mealworms
While mealworms may not be an expected food source at a feeder, they are an excellent food source for feeding fledging cardinals. Mealworms also attract cardinals because they are high in protein and cardinals eat insects while feeding developing nestlings. Cardinlas plus other seed-eating birds will forage for insects as they need to feed their offspring protein to support their rapid growth. If you want to attract them to your feeder, put dried mealworms or live ones in a On your platform feeder or tray with a mealworm feeder, place the mealworms in the bowl and place the live ones in as well. The best time to attract cardinals is in the summer during their active nesting period. Start with as little as one mealworm and increase it as you go along to test their interest. Initially, some cardinals will eat mealworms while others will take time to adjust to eating mealworms. After finding the protein source, cardinals will return consistently, often bringing fledglings to show them the food source. This is a great way to help cardinals raise their bases during high feeding times.
Berries
Cardinals love to eat berries and will find your feeder if there are berries in it. Fresh or dried berries are added nutrition to their seed diets. Berries give hydration and natural sugars. Cardianls are wild attracted to dogwood berries, holly berries, and serviceberries. In your feeder you can replicate it with dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped fresh berries. During fall and winter when other food sources become scarce your feeder will become important. Place berries on flat feeders or fruit specific feeders, it will be easier for the cardinals to get to them. Berries give antioxidants and help the bright red color of male cardinals. To help cardinals long term consider growing native berry shrubs like winterberry or American beautyberry. This will help the cardinals and make them want to come back to your property to feed year after year.
