It's Only Natural

Attract Birds with Foods that Mimic Natural Food Sources

Birds' beaks, feet, dexterity and other physical characteristics allow them to feed on specific natural foods, such as seeds, nuts, fruits/berries, insects, flower nectar and sap. For this reason, the bird food in our feeders should mimic birds’ natural food sources. Here are some examples:

  • Sunflower and safflower seeds mimic tree seeds, including pine, hemlock, spruce, maple, elm, sweetgum and more than 60 native sunflower species.
  • Millet mimics small, native flower and weed seeds, such as crabgrass, chickweed, knotweed and foxtail.
  • Nyjer® (thistle) mimics weedy flowers with small seeds such as native thistles, goldenrod and ragweed.
  • Peanuts, in or out of the shell, mimic many species of acorns and pine nuts.
  • Mealworms mimic the wild insect larvae typically consumed by numerous bird species.