The Best Birdseed and Birdfeeders for Winter Birds
When flowers are no longer in bloom, and bugs and fruits are hard to find, winter birds benefit from birdfeeders filled with nutritious birdseed. To provide for all different types of wild birds in need of food in the winter, offer many different types of bird foods. The following types of birdseed will attract many common wild birds to your balcony garden during cold winters when there’s not much other food to be found.
Black oil sunflower seeds. Cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, finches, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches.
Corn. Doves, woodpeckers, grackles, cowbirds, starlings and pigeons.
Live bugs (mealworms, waxworms). Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and bluebirds.
Millet seeds. Sparrows, juncos and mourning doves.
Nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc.). Woodpeckers, jays, chickadees and nuthatches.
Nyger seeds. Goldfinches and housefinches.
Safflower seeds. Chickadees, doves, finches, titmice, chickadees and woodpeckers.
Suet cakes. Woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, jays and wrens.
If you have the correct types of birdseed, you can’t just expect all of the wild birds to line up to eat it. Different bird species will eat at different types of feeders, and some birds are quite finicky about where they will eat. Hang or install the types of birdfeeders that will provide seeds for the birds you want to attract.
Ground feeder. Doves, juncos, sparrows, towhees, goldfinches and cardinals.
Hopper feeder. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, finches, siskins, jays, grackles, cardinals and red-winged blackbirds.
Tube feeders. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, finches and siskins.
Suet feeders. Woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, jays and wrens.
Thistle feeder. Goldfinches, siskins and redpolls.
