The Best Bird Seed for Attracting the Most Birds, According to Experts

Many kinds of birds will be frequent visitors to your backyard feeders if you offer them a steady supply of their favorite seeds. This is especially true in winter when natural food sources are less available. So what seed types do birds like best? Do different bird species have particular preferences? Are seed mixes a good option for feeding a wider variety of birds? We asked these questions of several bird experts and here's what they recommend for filling your feeders.

The Best Type of Bird Seed

The type of seed that attracts the widest variety of birds to your feeders is sunflower seed, according to Cornell’s Ornithology Laboratory’s website “All About Birds.” However, not all sunflower seed is equally attractive.

Striped Sunflower Seed

Large striped sunflower seed has thick black and white striped shells that add considerable weight to the bag. You end up paying for those heavy shells, which the birds discard as they crack them open.

Black Oil Sunflower Seed

Black oil sunflower seed has very thin shells that weigh less and is easier for birds to break open to get to the oil-rich kernels. These are a better buy because, pound for pound, you get more of the nutritious kernel and less shell.

“Black oil sunflower seed is a great option to feed birds because so many species enjoy it. It keeps things simple because with one seed type, you can attract a wide range of species,” says Emma Greig, Project FeederWatch Leader at Cornell Ornithology Laboratory. She notes that different species may enjoy other types of seed as well.

“Black oil sunflower seed is the number one feed to use in a feeder,” says Mike O’Connor, the owner of Bird Watcher’s General Store in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “Folks ask me about the small birds. Chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and finches all love sunflower seed as much as the larger birds do,” he says. O’Connor suggests that sunflower seed is definitely the way to go if you have only one feeder in your yard.

Shell-Less Sunflower Kernels

If you don’t like the mess of empty shells beneath your feeders, there’s another sunflower seed option to consider. You can buy sunflower kernels without the shell, saving the birds some effort and you the mess. Hulled sunflower seed—also called sunflower hearts or chips—is more expensive (often double the price of unhulled seed), but the birds love it.

Another consideration is that without their hull to protect them, the kernels are more susceptible to absorbing moisture. The kernels can become sticky during rainy or humid periods and plug up feeder ports. You might find that hulled sunflower seed is best used in smaller feeders you fill frequently.

Other Seed Types to Consider

While sunflower seed appeals to a wide variety of birds, “Some seed types seem to attract specific types of birds,” says Joe Liebezeit, staff scientist and Avian Conservation Program manager at Portland Audubon. “For example, thistle seed (also called nyjer} attracts finches primarily, such as goldfinches, siskins, and redpolls. Millet is a favorite of ground-feeding birds like doves, sparrows, and juncos,” he says.

Grieg agrees. “Different species do sometimes have different preferences, and you can explore those species and their favorite foods using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds Interactive,” Grieg says.

Peanuts—shelled or unshelled—are a favorite treat of bluejays, woodpeckers, chickadees, and several other species. However, they tend to absorb moisture and can be moldy and develop aflatoxins, which are harmful to humans and birds. So, it’s a good idea to cover the feeder you use for peanuts to keep out rainwater. Be sure the stored peanuts stay dry, and change them out of your feeders frequently if they are not consumed quickly.

Don’t Mix Seed or Buy Seed Mixes

You might think that using a mixture of different seed types in the same feeder would satisfy more bird species, but seed mixes are not all they’re cracked up to be. “When it comes to feeding birds, I’m a huge proponent of offering single ingredients. Perhaps fill one feeder with sunflower and one with millet or hulled peanuts,” says O’Connor.

“A few species, including some sparrows and buntings, would probably rather eat white millet. That’s fine,” says O’Connor. “Millet can be provided in another feeder or scattered on the ground. Don’t mix the two types of seed. The birds will pull out the seed they want to eat and knock the other onto the ground.”

Whatever seed you select for your birds, keep your feeders clean and the seed dry, and never top off the seed in your feeder. “The seed on the bottom will eventually become wet, moldy, and disgusting. It will ruin the new seed. Always shake out the old seed before adding new,” says O’Connor.