Do you ever feed wild birds in your back yard? If so, you are among the millions of people who are involved in this leisure activity, according to a recent Conservation Department survey.
Although birds benefit from the easy access to birdseed, people are the primary beneficiaries of this recreational activity. The opportunity to share food and enjoy the mystique of birds at close range provides hours of enjoyment just outside your home. Bird feeding adds diversity to your day and enriches your life.
People in the United States spend over a half-billion dollars each year on birdseed. To get the most for your time and money, you should be aware of a comprehensive report discussing the relative attractiveness of different seeds to songbirds. (See Additional Information.) This report, completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1980, is based on almost three-quarters of a million observations of birds choosing between two or more seed types at specially constructed feeding stations.
The report shows that birds that prefer large seeds are highly attracted to sunflower seed. However, the most attractive sunflower is the smaller, black, oil-type sunflower seed and not the more familiar striped varieties. Birds such as sparrows, that prefer smaller seeds, especially are attracted to white proso millet. To be more specific, there are striking differences in seed preferences among the various bird species.
The table in this brochure, adapted from the report, lists the seed preferences of 13 common bird species. The birdseeds in this table are arranged with the more attractive varieties to the left and the less attractive types to the right. For example, the sunflower and niger seeds are all especially attractive to goldfinch. But when you consider the costs of these seeds, sunflower seeds are probably the best buy, plus they're more attractive to a wider variety of birds. Photographs of the seed types are included to assist in seed identification. With the aid of this table, you can improve the quality of you bird-feeding experience by furnishing the seeds most attractive to your favorite birds. Also, you can see that some birds such as tufted titmice and chickadees are finicky eaters, whereas birds like mourning doves and whit-throated sparrows will eat about any type of seed.
If you buy small packages of birdseed mixtures, you should look at the composition. The common cereal grains such as milo (or grain sorghum), wheat and oats all rate significantly below black, oil-type sunflower seed and white millet in attracting birds. Generally, packages of mix wrapped in clear plastic are put together to attract people more than birds.
Rather than buying mixes, you may want to spend your money more effectively by buying only black, oil-type sunflower seed--not a mixture of sunflower seed--and white millet separately in bulk. For the name, address and phone number of the nearest bulk supplier, check the yellow-pages under Seeds, Feed Dealers, or Bird Supplies.
Bird feeding stations may be as simple as seed placed on the ground or as complex as a feeder accessible only to birds of certain weights. A plain wooden platform can be erected as a simple feeding station. Some edging around the outside will help keep the seed from falling on the ground. You may like to add a roof and tree walls to keep the rain off or you may prefer the open platform for easy bird access and for the additional brightness for picture-taking. A good way to offer sunflower seeds to birds is with a commercially available, clear-plastic cylinder or silo-type feeder.
In order to ensure a quality bird-feeding experience, you need to recognize that there are differences in feeding habits among birds. Songbirds, such as the dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow and Harris sparrow, prefer to feed directly on the ground. Cardinals and blue jays will feed either on the ground or on a platform. Goldfinch and chickadees also will visit small, plastic feeders that are fixed to the outside of a window by a suction cup. Remember to locate your feeding station outside a room where you may relax and enjoy the visitors.
Many people enjoy feeding songbirds year-round. In fact, the most crucial time in the life of many birds may be in the early spring when naturally occurring seeds are more scarce. The plumage of the male goldfinch turns bright yellow when the weather turns warm. In the spring and summer, many young birds follow their parents to the feeder. It is fascinating to watch the parents show their children to the feeder. It is fascinating to watch the parents show their young how to crack open the seeds.
Some birds, such as the northern (Baltimore) oriole and the ruby-throated hummingbird, are only summer residents. Orioles may be attracted to the feeding stations with fruit, and hummingbirds come to special feeders filled with sugar water. Suet or animal fat attracts insect-eating birds like woodpeckers year-round.
People often say that if feeding is started it should be continued. This rigid schedule may be impossible to maintain. No research indicates that during normal weather, birds will starve if feeding is stopped for a time. Birds often visit many feeding stations in a neighborhood. You will be amazed at how fast the word gets out among birds that a new feeding station is available. Their natural curiosity and mobility ensure their success at making the rounds.
Besides furnishing the most attractive seed, you can entice birds to your feeders in other ways. A complete feeding program includes establishing trees, shrubs, vines and flowers that not only produce food but also provide cover. Many decorative trees and shrubs furnish fruits and berries for birds. Holly, hawthorn and persimmon are favorites of cedar waxwings. They will arrive in large flocks in winter and stay as long as the food supply lasts.
Quite often in new housing developments, trees and shrubs that birds use for nesting, perching and escaping predators may be in short supply. Birds need places to perch overnight and vantage points from which they may not only view the feeder but also watch for potential predators. Evergreens offer valuable year-round cover from the weather in addition to secluded nesting sites.
To increase the popularity of your feeding station, furnish water--preferably year-round. The Carolina wren and the bluebird, may be enticed to feeding stations during the winter if water is available. During prolonged periods of ice or snow cover, provide grit (coarse sand or ground shells) along with the seed. Birds lack teeth, and the grit which is kept in the gizzard is used to grind up seeds.
By selecting the right seed for your bird-feeding station and by landscaping with plants that furnish cover and additional food, you can join the 62 million Americans who invite these colorful and fascinating creatures into their yards.
Bull, and John Farrand, Jr. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region). 1977. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York.
Geis, Aelred D. "Relative Attractiveness of Different Foods at Wild Bird Feeders." Special Scientific Report No. 233, U.S. Dept. of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 1980. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. (Available from $1.50 from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Section 3B, Washington, D.C. 20402.)
Peterson, Roger Tory, A Field Guide to the Birds--East of the Rockies(Peterson Field Guide Series). 1980. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Robbins, Chandler S., Bertel Bruun and Hervert S. Zim. Birds of North America (Golden Field Guide Series). 1966. Golden Press, New York. Last Revision Date: 07/15/96
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