Best Bird Seed to Attract Birds to Your Feeder | Bird Feeding Basics

Giving your feathered friends the best bird seed for their requirements is important, regardless of how long you've been feeding birds or whether this is your first time installing a feeder. 

Bird seeds, however, come in different sizes. 

Each type of seed has certain characteristics and things to consider, and each species of bird has a predilection for certain seeds. 

See our recommendations and learn how to purchase bird food for backyards below!

Best seeds for birds

Best Bird Seed

Kaytee Wild Bird Ultimate Birder's Blend Food Seed

Birding enthusiasts created Kaytee Ultimate Birders' Blend, which offers greater nutritional value and draws more birds to your garden. 

Included are the preferred grains of songbirds together with an abundance of energy-dense black oil sunflower seeds. 

Birds will return to your feeders year-round due to the vast range of ingredients, which also contribute to a healthy diet.

Kaytee Wild Bird Black Oil Sunflower Food

Black Oil Sunflowers have thinner hulls and a high oil content, making them the seed that backyard wild birds like the most. 

The thin hulls make it simpler for birds to consume, and the high oil content is a fantastic source of energy.

With three cleaning processes, this best seed for birds reduces harvest debris and waste while offering premium, high-quality seeds.

Kaytee Wild Bird Waste Free Nut and Fruit Food Seed

Kaytee Ultra No Mess Nut & Fruit Blend features a combination of hulled sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios, cherries, cranberries, and other shell-free foods that are nutritionally enhanced. 

Woodpeckers, cardinals, grosbeaks, and other fruit- and nut-loving birds will undoubtedly be drawn to the gourmet components. 

This best bird seed for cardinals is completely edible and won't leave any messy leftovers beneath the feeder because the nuts and seeds have had their outer shells removed. 

Wagner's 53002 Farmer's Delight Wild Bird Food

Wagner's Farmer's Delight Wild Bird Food is a simple mixture of cracked corn, sunflower, millet, and milo. 

All birds will be drawn to this best backyard bird seed, especially those that use ground feeders. 

Put your backyard birds in the hands of Wagner's experts now!

Wagner's 62004 Eastern Regional Wild Bird Food

Wagner's Eastern Regional Blend provides more of the seeds that local backyard birds search for, so you'll see more of the songbirds you want to see.

It will be a hit at the feeder when combined with black oil sunflower, striped sunflower seed, safflower seed, and other well-chosen grains. 

The variety of wild birds you will draw will definitely amaze you. 

Wagner's 13010 Wild Bird Food

Designed to draw birds all year round, this best bird seed for birds is perfectly used in the spring and summer for hatchlings, in the fall when birds are migrating, and in the winter when food is scarcer. 

Wagner’s employs only the best grains to make this coveted mix.

Wagner's 13008 Deluxe Wild Bird Food

With its combination of sunflower and general purpose seeds, Wagner's Deluxe Wild Bird Food Blend provides backyard enthusiasts with reasonably priced, authentic food at a great value! 

Deluxe Blend is a fantastic combination to draw in those amazing ground feeding birds, and it can be used in all kinds of feeders.

Together with other native backyard visitors, you'll get all the usual suspects, such as finches, chickadees, and cardinals.

Wagner's 62050 Nyjer Seed Wild Bird Food

Finches, including American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin, and other tiny songbirds, have a strong preference for Wagner's Nyjer Seed. 

This little treat is used in finch feeders, which are ideal for finches but a deterrent to larger birds because of their tiny perches and smaller holes.

Wagner's Nyjer Seed, with its high fat and protein content, is an excellent option for raising finches.

Audubon Park Songbird Blend Wild Bird Food

Audubon Park Songbird bird seed will draw a rainbow of vibrant songbirds to your feeder. 

Sunflower seed, safflower seed, peanuts, and other common bird feed components are all included in this excellent bird seed so that your backyard feeder will be humming with activity all year long.

Pennington Songbird Nut & Fruit Blend Wild Bird Seed

This premium grain and seed combination draws a diverse range of the most exquisite and vibrant songbirds to your backyard. 

Additionally, for the finest in bird health and a balanced diet, Pennington Wild Bird products are enhanced with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. 

You may use this seed mix all year long in bird feeders that are tube, gazebo, and hopper types.

What to Look for in Bird Seed?

Consider the following factors when selecting the best bird seed for backyard feeders. 

Seed type

Different-sized birds have beaks developed for a particular set of food sources. 

For instance, huge peanut pieces are typically preferred by jays, whereas tiny-beaked finches require little seeds, such as nyjer.

Package size

A smaller bag could be simpler for you to carry or store, even though a larger one might be more economical. 

Unshelled seeds may also remain fresher for longer in smaller packages. 

Seed quality

Some brands add fillers, such as milo or oats, to their seed mixtures to make them unappealing to birds. 

Thus, seek out brands that sell a range of seed varieties separately or that are clear about what ingredients are used in their mixes.

What is the best bird seed?

Price

Different seed varieties may have different price ranges. 

For example, nyjer is often more costly than other varieties of seeds. Meanwhile, sunflower hearts and other shelled seeds are often a little more expensive. 

Ideal environment

When choosing a bird seed, take your local environment and weather conditions into account. 

To illustrate, unprocessed suet may melt in the heat, and in damp or rainy conditions, peanuts will draw toxins. 

Feeder compatibility

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to bird feeders as different feeder sizes are needed for larger or smaller nuts and seeds.

For instance, small-port tube feeders are necessary for containing Nyjer, whereas larger-port feeders can be required to prevent blockages with larger peanut pieces. 

These are some best bird seed feeders that you could need if this is your first time keeping birds:

What Seed Attracts the Most Birds?

Among different species, cracked corn, sunflower, and millet are the most favorite bird seeds. 

These seeds can be distributed separately or in combination. 

Birds frequently select through seed mixtures, taking the seeds that appeal to them and discarding the remaining seeds on the ground.

What is the best bird seed blend?

If you are a bird lover, here are additional useful resources:

• Best binoculars for bird watching

• Best gifts for bird lovers

How to Store Bird Seed to Keep It Fresh?

To keep your bird seed fresh for a long time, keep the following tips in mind:

• Buy high-quality seed: Purchasing high-quality bird seed from reputable suppliers increases the likelihood that the seed will be stored correctly to prolong its freshness. 

• Pick the right storage place: It's ideal to find a covered area so the container is shielded from the weather while keeping bird feed outside.

• Regularly check for seed freshness: Examine your feeders visually each time you go to refill them, keeping an eye out for any telltale scents or signs that your seed has gone bad.

• Use the right container: Search for a container with a lid if possible. The amount of seed you are storing will determine the size. 

If you haven’t got one, choose from here (these best containers to store bird seed may also serve as cat or dog food storage):