Bird food is food (often varieties of seeds) eaten by birds. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Humans generally make or buy bird food to feed to pet birds or use in birdfeeders. A pet is an Animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a househeld animal as opposed to Livestock, Laboratory animals Working animals A birdfeeder, bird feeder, or bird table is a device placed out-of-doors to supply Bird food to Birds The success of a bird feeder in attracting The choice of what to use as birdfood depends on the species of bird being fed.

Bird seeds

A mixture of seeds in a bird feeder

Black sunflower seeds are highly recommended for use in bird feeders because they attract a wide variety of birds, have a high ratio of meat to shell, and are high in fat content. The sunflower seed is the Fruit of the Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) ^[1][2] Other common birdseeds include niger, or thistle seed, a favorite of goldfinches, millet for sparrows and juncos, and safflower for cardinals, among others. Guizotia abyssinica is an erect stout branched annual herb grown for its Edible oil and seed The American Goldfinch ( Carduelis tristis) also known as the Eastern Goldfinch and Wild Canary, is a North American Bird in the The millets are a group of small- Seeded Species of Cereal crops or grains widely grown around the world for Food and Fodder The "true sparrows" the Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae, are small Passerine Birds Generally sparrows tend to be "Junco" is also a shrub in the genus Adolphia and the Spanish term for rushes (genus Juncus) Safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius L) is a highly branched Herbaceous, Thistle -like annual usually with many long sharp spines on the leaves The Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of Passerine Birds found in North and South America. ^[1][2]

Non-seed birdfood

Bushtits eating suet from a bird feeder

Not all birds eat seeds. The Bushtit ( Psaltriparus minimus) is a long-tailed tit found in North America Suet (beef or mutton fat) is recommended for insect-eating birds like nuthatches and woodpeckers. Suet (/ˈsuːɪt/ is raw Beef or mutton Fat, especially the hard fat found around the Loins and Kidneys Suet has a Melting Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The nuthatches are a Genus, Sitta, of small Passerine Birds belonging to the Wallcreeper, constitute the The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of Near-passerine Birds. ^[1] Nectar (essentially sugar water) attracts hummingbirds. Nectar is a Sugar -rich liquid produced by plants It is produced either by the Flowers in which it attracts pollinating animals or by extrafloral Hummingbirds are Birds in the family Trochilidae, and are endemic to the Americas. ^[1]

Commercial bird food

A wide variety of commercial bird food is available to bird owners. However, bags of mixed birdseed often combine attractive bird food like sunflower seeds with "filler" materials that birds enjoy less. Birds tend to pick out their favorite seeds and simply leave the rest uneaten. Other birds that favor some of the seeds that were not eaten will then come and eat those seeds. ^[2][3]

External links

Bird food preference charts:

• Bird Watcher's Digest Backyard Bird Food Chart
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Food Preferences Chart

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} What to Feed Birds and Seeds and Grains for Birds. Project FeederWatch. Retrieved on August 23, 2006
2. ^ ^{a b c} Porter, Diane. Winter Bird Feeder: Keep Them Coming Back. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.
3. ^ Choosing Bird Food. All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.