Know Your Bird Seed & Food and Which Birds They Attract

You've just hung your first bird feeder. Congrats! Now, let's fill it up. The bird seed or food you put in your feeder determines which birds will visit your yard. Choosing the best bird seed depends on the type of feeder(s) you have and what types of birds you wish to see visit your yard. Learn how to select the bird seed and food that will attract your favorite species.

• Feeding Birds: You Have Food & Seed Choices
• Common Bird Seeds
• Specialty Foods
• Blended Mixes
• Choose the Right Bird Food for Your Feathered Friends

Hang several bird feeders with different feed and seed options to attract more birds.

Feeding Birds: You Have Food & Seed Choices

Wild birds enjoy dining on seeds, grains, seed mixes and specialty foods such as suet made from beef tallow, dried mealworms, fruits and even nectar. And offering a variety of these foods will bring different types of birds to your yard.

In addition to keeping bellies full, offering wild birds food helps them bulk up for winter so they stay warmer, have energy to tend to a nest of young in spring and summer, prepare for migration in spring and fall and stay fueled for all the flying they do.

Setting up a bird feeder also helps your wild friends when natural food sources are scarce, especially in regions with cold, snowy winters where insects go dormant and fruits have perished.
To bring more varieties of birds to your yard, consider offering a few types of bird seed and food. Let's take a closer look at each option.

Sunflower seeds are high in fat, giving wild birds extra energy.

Common Bird Seeds

Some birds prefer a feeder filled to the brim with one favorite seed. The most popular choices include sunflower seeds, niger seeds and safflower seeds. And, the Blue Jays beg you not to forget the peanuts!

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds come in a few varieties, including black oil and striped. You'll find them offered whole, hulled and chipped. The latter two options create less mess in the yard, since they don't contain the seed shell (aka hull).

Sunflower seeds offer wild birds high-quality protein. Feed it year-round to provide extra energy to wintering, nesting and migrating birds.

Try the Pennington Select Black Oil Sunflower Seed to bring cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, goldfinches, titmice, juncos, Pine Siskins and nuthatches into view. If you prefer less mess, offer the Pennington Select Sunflower Chips to bring Purple Finches, goldfinches, grosbeaks, sparrows, cardinals, chickadees and more to your yard.

Niger or Thistle Seed

Niger seed, also known as thistle seed, is available in one variety and gets served up whole. The small, black niger seed contains a high oil content, making it a favorite of wild birds year-round, as the oil offers extra energy.

To bring finches, siskins and chickadees to your yard, fill your bird feeder with Pennington Select Thistle Seed. This enriched formula features Pennington's Bird-Kote, a vitamin-rich coating to support the health of wild birds as you feed them year-round.

Safflower Seed

White safflower seeds are available in one variety: whole. Wild birds will happily crack open these tasty seeds year-round.

Pennington Select Safflower Seed features added vitamins and minerals to enrich the seeds. Plus, the formula isn't appealing to squirrels or blackbirds, so you can enjoy more songbirds at your feeder, including cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees and finches. 

Mess-free suet attracts woodpeckers.

Specialty Foods

In addition to seeds and nuts, wild birds benefit from snacking on a variety of other foods to boost their energy and protein intake. Some of the most common include suet, nectar, fruit, mealworms and tree seeds.

Suet

Suet comes from rendered beef, which has a high fat content. Then, bird-favorite seeds, nuts and fruits are mixed in to create a delicious food. Suet is formed into square cakes, small nuggets and dough balls so it fits into different types of feeders to attract different types of birds.

Suet provides much-needed energy for nesting and migrating birds, so offer it year-round. (Use a no-melt suet in summer to protect the birds.) It also helps non-migratory birds bulk up for winter so they stay extra warm.

Add suet to your bird feeding station to keep birds happy and full in winter when other food sources are scarce. The Pennington Feeding Frenzy High Energy! Suet Cake contains whole sunflower seeds to attract cardinals, titmice, chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, Blue Jays and more. If you're focused on bringing more types of woodpeckers to your yard, try the Pennington Feeding Frenzy Woodpecker Treat Suet Cake filled with peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts and other woodpecker favorites.

Nectar

Nectar features a nourishing mix of water, sugar and sometimes electrolytes that mimics flower nectar. Hummingbirds, orioles, grosbeaks, mockingbirds, tanagers and others need nectar for healthy hydration. 

Try making nectar homemade or from a concentrate (powder or liquid) mix. Or save time and choose a premade nectar. Naturally clear Pennington Ultra ElectroNectar Ready to Use can go directly in your hummingbird feeder — no mixing or measuring required.

Fruit

Just like us, wild birds enjoy a sweet fruit treat on occasion. Offer birds who visit your yard fresh (uncooked, unseasoned) fruit leftover from your meals, a scoop of jelly made without artificial sweeteners, or dried fruits, such as raisins, cranberries or cherries.

Or, keep it simple and hang a Pennington Nut & Fruit Treat Bell from your bird feeder or a hook on your patio. The raisins and dried cranberries will bring buntings, woodpeckers, cardinals and chickadees around.

Mealworms

Mealworms represent the larval stage of the yellow mealworm beetle. The worms offer high-energy protein for wild birds to help survive cold winters or have energy for raising young in the spring.

Offer dried mealworms by sprinkling Pennington Mealworm Pouch Wild Bird Food on a platform feeder or the ground for bluebirds, cardinals, wrens, robins and woodpeckers to enjoy. You can also add Pennington Feeding Frenzy Mealworm Delight Suet Nuggets to your feeder. These protein-packed morsels feature mealworms, suet and peanuts.

Peanuts

You'll find peanuts for wild birds offered whole in-shell, unshelled, as hearts (small pieces) or kibbled (small granules). Petite birds prefer the ground-up, easier-to-eat options.

Peanuts offer ample protein and energy for birds to enjoy year-round. To keep squirrels from climbing your bird feeder, simply sprinkle peanuts on the ground below after filling your bird feeder. Or, use a Pennington Squirrel Resistant Feeder in Bronze.

Entice Blue Jays, woodpeckers, chipmunks and squirrels to your yard with Pennington Classic Peanuts. These are 100% whole, shelled peanuts. If you'd prefer not to clean up peanut shells, try the Pennington Classic Shell Peanuts. These unshelled peanuts also attract cardinals, Blue Jays, chipmunks and woodpeckers.

Additional Nuts and Tree Seeds

Wild birds are natural foragers. Woodpeckers, for example, love to find, hide and eat acorns. Other nuts and tree seeds that attract birds include maple tree seeds, walnuts, pinecones and almonds.

As you think about landscaping your yard, consider adding trees and bushes that offer nuts and fruits with seeds, such as apples, cherries, blackberries or blueberries, to naturally nourish birds.

In the meantime, Pennington Ultra Waste Free Nuts & Fruit Blend will make juncos, woodpeckers, chickadees, cardinals, grosbeaks and nuthatches happy.

Offer a mix of seeds and grains to bring more bird varieties to your feeder.

Blended Mixes

Choose a blended mix of seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, and other specialty foods to attract several types of birds to your bird feeders for you to watch and enjoy. Consider these varieties:

• Pennington Feeding Frenzy Finch Favorites Tube Feeder Blend: Designed to attract smaller birds, this blend of sunflower chips, thistle seed and more will bring goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches, chickadees and other petite varieties to your feeder. Simply pour the blend into a hopper, tube, platform or gazebo feeder and wait for the magic to happen.
• Pennington Classic Wild Bird Feed: If you're going for variety, this mix of grains and seeds will attract many birds, including cardinals, doves, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, goldfinches, titmice and more. Enriched with vitamins and mineral supplements to boost the health of your feathered friends.
• Feeding Frenzy All Birds High Variety Blend: This high-variety blend offers bird visitors extra protein for nesting and feeding chicks, migrating or enduring winter temperatures. Wild birds will enjoy the mix of ingredients, including safflower seeds, peanuts, mealworms, black oil sunflower seeds and more. Expect to see Downy Woodpeckers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, nuthatches, titmice, cardinals and more flocking to your feeder.
• Pennington Select Birder's Blend Seed & Mealworm Mix: This blend of mealworms, black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and more will appeal to birds that eat seeds and insects. Expect to see woodpeckers, Blue Jays, cardinals and chickadees hovering around to get a taste.
• Feeding Frenzy Wild Bird Food Cardinal & Songbird Suet Nugget Blend: This blend is great if you hope to bring more songbirds to your yard. Features peanut suet nuggets, black oil sunflower seeds, raisins and more to give birds the energy they need to stay warm in winter and feel energized in summer. Fill your bird feeder with this blend to see more chickadees, wrens, warblers, cardinals and woodpeckers.

Want more blue jays in your yard? Share whole peanuts.

Choose the Right Bird Food for Your Feathered Friends

Decide which species top your must-see list and select the bird food they crave. Then, keep that bird feeder full.

Here at Pennington, we love birds as much as we love lawns and gardens. That's really what adoring nature and caring for your home is about. If you have questions about birdwatching, growing plants or creating a beautiful green lawn, we have the answers you need. Reach out. Let us help you nurture your roots and dreams.

Always read product labels thoroughly and follow instructions.