While small finches like these American Goldfinches will eat shelled sunflower seeds, a thistle feeder might reduce the competition for a turn at a feeder perch. Even small seed-eating birds like chickadees will feed on black oil sunflower seeds, while these larger seeds are the staple for birds like cardinals and grosbeaks.

As fall progresses and insect numbers are reduced, seed-eating birds search out sources of seeds, making our feeding stations more and more attractive. Some birds will arrive as migrants, and some may be encouraged to stay longer when they find a dependable source of food. Others will arrive a little later and spend the winter, most arriving from the northern boreal forest areas of Canada – seed-eating birds like northern finches, goldfinches, siskins, grosbeaks, crossbills, juncos, native sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and more.

You have probably done some of your own research into what seeds the birds in your neighborhood prefer, including your favorite feeder visitors. There are a lot of seed options, but over the years we have found that we attract the birds we prefer by simply offering 2 primary seed types – black oil sunflower seeds and thistle seeds (sometimes referred to as “nyjer” seeds). As it turns out, these seeds also provide the best benefits for seed-eating birds.

It is no coincidence that black oil sunflower seeds and thistle seeds have the highest oil and food value content, which is why birds prefer them when they are available. The small size of thistle seeds dictates that smaller birds prefer them, especially goldfinches, siskins, and other small winter finches. Other seed-eating birds prefer sunflower seeds, although finches also relish sunflower “chips” that have been cut into smaller pieces to provide food for small and large seed eaters alike.

Shelled Options & Seed Mixes

The nice thing about feeding shelled sunflower seeds is that there is the no waste factor. There are no messy shells that eventually cover the ground and pile up until you get out a broom and shovel to clean up the shells. With shelled seeds, there is no mess, no clean-up, and no waste – it all gets eaten. At first it may seem that a bag of shelled seeds is a bit pricey, but you must remember that you aren’t paying for the useless shells, and you’re gaining a mess-free feeding station with no clean-up time required – it’s a win-win situation.

We think the ultimate seed option is to offer shelled black oil sunflower seeds or seed chips in a larger tube feeder, and a smaller tube feeder filled with thistle seeds. Sometimes we also add a mix of shelled seeds that include shelled black oil sunflower seeds, sunflower chips, a lesser amount of safflower seeds, and mixed chopped nuts including peanuts (nuts because we like to attract jays, and woodpeckers and other birds like them too). We even mix a little thistle into that combination to entice finches to try the shelled sunflower seeds, and we find small finches quickly adapt to, or prefer, shelled sun seeds. In essence, that brings us to the point when we can simply offer shelled sunflower seeds, eliminating thistle seeds, and simplifying our feeding station that attracts a quality collection of birds to our primary feeder – cardinals, finches, chickadees, grosbeaks, nuthatches, woodpeckers, jays, native sparrows, juncos, and more.

Many larger cities have local wild bird stores where we can get expert advice and purchase a variety of seed options. Even some large hardware stores and department stores stock a surprising variety of seeds and seed mixes to choose from, but it’s always worthwhile to do a little comparison shopping – comparing weights and prices of packaged seed mixes – along with a little “field” research at your feeding station to see what seed types or seed mixes work best for you in your area.

Many advanced birders avoid secondary seeds altogether, including millet, red milo, and cracked corn because they have little added food value and attract some unwanted species that can dominate other birds at feeders – blackbirds, starlings, and House Sparrows for example. Overall, it’s a good idea to read the ingredient lists on seed packages, inspect the seed mix through the clear packaging, and stick to quality bird seeds and seed mixes. Ultimately, you should feed the seeds preferred by the birds you want to attract and observe, while trying to avoid a few species you may prefer not to attract.

The Bird Seed Preference Table

There is some helpful information available to learn more about the seed preferences of 15 common birds that eat seeds and visit feeding stations. Created by Project Wildbird, a research study conducted continent-wide in the United States and Canada, you can access this table at ProjWildbird_Research_2011_NA_numbers.pdf (ectownusa.net)

While the study provides all the information gathered, we prefer to simplify our seed offerings to the best of the best seed types that provide the highest quality foods for the birds we want to attract. At the same time, most people prefer not to have European Starlings, Red-winged Blackbirds, House Sparrows, and Brown-headed Cowbirds dominate their seed feeders, so in a reverse way, the seed table provides information about how to avoid the seeds these birds prefer, such as cracked corn or millet.

Similarly, it shows that open platform feeders are preferred by many seed eaters, but starlings, blackbirds, cowbirds, and House Sparrows don’t prefer hopper and tube feeders. But hopper feeders and tube feeders are preferred by most other birds. As for squirrels, using a squirrel-proof feeder is your best bet, but if you get a kick out of squirrels, you can opt to include a separate feeding station to offer foods they relish, but that preferred birds will bypass for black oil sunflower seeds, for example.

Enjoy feeding birds, seeing what birds you can attract and, ultimately, which birds you enjoy seeing most at your feeding station. With new species arriving each week as fall migration continues, and ever more birds benefitting from your feeding station efforts, enjoy the variety of birds the fall season brings!

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