10 Best Bird Seeds in 2021

Wagner’s Four Season Oil Sunflower Seed

Wagner’s Greatest Variety Wild Bird Food

Wagner Sag flower Seed

Bird watching is a great hobby. More and more people are now seeking this phenomenal pastime all over the world. Sometimes, you watch a lot of birds gather to your property to feed, drink water, or just mingle with other birds. You will also help them live in this fast-changing society brought on by the degradation of the environment. But before you can successfully attract various bird species to your bird feeder, you need the right bird-seed items to give them a cause to gather around.

Nevertheless, choosing the right one, after all, is not easy. You need to learn too many things first before you plan to buy them. This way, you will decide if it’s worth wasting money or not. If you want to know more about the famous bird seed and bird food brands on the market today, these top 10 items will give you valuable insight into them.

Types of Bird Seed

Without question, several seeds attract an extensive range of birds. Although backyard birds generally love to eat sunflower seeds. Other types of seed will help attract the birds of your neighborhood to your yard or garden. It is worth noting that a mixture of oats, millets, and other fillers is seldom appealing to birds.

Sunflower

You’ll find two types of sunflower seeds, striped oil, and black oil. Later, they have small shells that are easy for birds to break. Ok, most winter birds like these seeds. On the other side, the striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell.

Seaflower

These seeds have a dense shell, and so individual birds can find it hard to break. Nevertheless, they are among the preferred seeds for cardinals. Besides this, it is consumed by chickadees, native sparrows, grosbeaks and doves.

Thistle or Nyjer

These are the perfect seeds food for finches, including Indigo Buntings, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and American Goldfinches. Also, you heat sterilize Thistle seeds to reduce the risk of dissemination. The method guarantees that the integrity of the food is preserved.

White Proso Millet

It is the preferred meal for ground-feeding birds, including cardinals, juncos, towels, sparrows, and quails. Unfortunately, this meal is enjoyed by House Sparrows and cowbirds. If you just want to draw cardinals and other songbirds, stop using millet.

Canary seed and rapeseed

Cowbirds and House Sparrows prefer to eat the canary seed. Sure, you certainly don’t want to draw these birds. So, it’s best not to add canary seeds to your feeder. A few birds prefer to eat rapeseed, including juncos, finches, doves, and quails. However, rapeseeds are more likely to spoil over time.

Peanuts

Suppose you’d like to lure chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, peanuts, and blue jays to your feeder. The concern, though, is that squirrels and raccoons still love to munch on it. Install prevention steps to keep these creatures away from your feeder. Also, find out the best squirrel bird feeders that operate.

Corn

Birds, like pheasants, jays, crows, grouse, corn beaks, cardinals, ravens, and doves, prefer to eat corn. They’re almost as favorite fodder for raccoons, though, and other species that you won’t want to subsidize. Besides, maize is also infected with aflatoxins.

Best Bird Seeds Are Reviewed Below

1

Wagner’s Four Season Oil Sunflower Seed

What kind of seed are the cardinals eating? They’re going to eat about every sort of food, and Wagner’s sunflower seeds are some of the better seeds for cardinals. This 20-pound bag of wild bird food contains 100% real black oil sunflower seeds, perfect for adult wild birds.

Songbirds like cardinals are readily attracted to sunflower seeds because they have a rich flavor that is addictive, and these seeds have a thin shell that is easy for them to break and eat.

Sunflower seeds are rich in energy and can fill tubes, hoppers, or tray feeders. It is advised that if you are attempting to feed cardinals, you can have at least 2 to 3 different feeders to fit different varieties of seed and different eating patterns and cardinals and other wild birds. The most successful way to feed the sunflower seed cardinals will be to position the seed in the feeder platform.

Key Features:

  • Attracts a wide variety of birds
  • Easy for small beaked birds to open
  • High energy content
  • Suitable for all kinds of birds
  • Made of high-quality grains
  • The USA made

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 12.8 x 3.5 x 20.7 inches
  • Product Weight: 10.54 pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Wagners
  • Product ASIN: B0030ZZY58
  • Product Size: 10 lb Bag
  • Product Model Number: 76025
Pros
  • It comes with high nutritional value.
  • It attracts a wide variety of birds.
  • It has a high nutritional value.
Cons
  • The leftover shell becomes debris and could clog ACS.’

2

Wagner’s Greatest Variety Wild Bird Food

If you’re aiming for the most extensive range of songbirds to get to your garden, then Wagner’s Greatest Variety Combination is a good shockie. Crafted to cater to all types of wild birds, this seed combination includes essential ingredients that the cardinals would enjoy, such as black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, and sunflower chips.

While they love consuming seeds from sunflower, however, do cardinals consume seeds from safflower too? According to the Wagner Bird Feeding Preference Map, safflower seeds are highly favored by the cardinals.

Small portions of almonds, crushed peas, tree nuts, and raisins are also used in this seed mixture. The ingredients used in this blend can be quickly broken down by cardinals and other wild bird species and eaten without any problems. Although this package does not have the most significant container, since its full size is a 16-pound bag, it is filled with nutrients that will keep the cardinals satisfied and safe.

Key Features:

  • It features a six or 16-pound package.
  • Appeals to both ground feeding birds and perching songbirds
  • It can be used in platform feeders, tubes, or hoppers.
  • Up to 40% features black oil sunflowers.
  • The seed mix features several seeds.
  • Cardinal blend of food

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 13.8 x 8.4 x 3.7 inches
  • Product Weight: 6 Pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Wagners’
  • Product ASIN: B000KL6T18
  • Product Number: 62034
  • Package color: Green
Pros
  • The product comes in a variety of seeds.
  • It comes in a resalable Velcro pres-lok
  • High-quality seeds
Cons
  • The seeds get expired very quickly.

3

Wagner Sag flower Seed

If you need the perfect bird seed for cardinals, this powder from Wagner’s will help you draw more birds to your yard.

This bird seed pack is super awesome! It is made up of safflower, the favorite of the cardinals and other songbirds. It’s full of nutrients and very tasty. Moreover, the squirrels leave this birdseed behind, which ensures that the cardinals can feed uninterruptedly.

The downside is that it’s going to get moldy quickly. Since the initial bag is not resalable, the seeds may become damp after it is opened. This compromises the consistency of the crop.

Key Features:

  • Made in the USA
  • Songbirds and cardinals favorite seeds
  • High-quality grains
  • Available in several gourmet mixes
  • Squirrels would keep off this one.

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 12.1 x 7.4 x 4.2 inches
  • Product Weight: 5 Pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Wagner’s
  • Product ASIN: B004477AOO
  • Product Model Number: 57075
  • Product color: Green and White
Pros
  • High-quality seed
  • Packed with essential nutrient
  • Squirrels cannot eat it.
Cons
  • It gets moldy very fast.

4

Kaytee Safflower Seed

If you want to draw wild birds to your bird feeder, the best songbird seed you need to fill your bird feeder is the Kaytee Safflower Seed.

You’d like this unique birdseed. The safflower seed is very rich in protein and other essential oils. Cardinals, grosbeaks, nuts, and chickadees just want to chew the seeds in the morning. They’re just lovely to watch in my backyard.

If there is one unwelcome thing about this bird seed brand, it will be the fact that squirrels enjoy them, too. It’s a high oil content seed that helps draw cardinals and many other birds to your backyard.

The safflower seeds contain help that discourages squirrels from consuming the food because of its bitter flavor.

But as a tip, some users mentioned squirrels having a taste for them. So, don’t get your hopes too high and put up walls to hold them away from your bird feed. Cardinals love to eat safflower nuts. So, if you want to see these magnificent animals in your backyard or greenhouse, add Kaytee Safflower seeds to your feeder.

Key Features:

  • High oil content seeds
  • Offers premium seeds
  • Includes high protein
  • Keeps squirrels away
  • Attracts chickadees, Nuthatches, grosbeaks, and more

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 2 x 10 x 15.75
  • Product Weight: 5 pounds
  • Product model number: 100063942
  • Product department: Seeds
  • Manufacturer: Central Garden and Pet
  • Product ASIN: B0002DKBGI
  • Product Color: Green Back
Pros
  • High in protein
  • High oil content seeds
  • Attracts cardinals
Cons
  • Attracts only a small variety of birds

5

Wagner’s Nyjer Seed Bird Food

If you have finches in your region, then the Nyjer seed is probably the number one option. This product comes with an easy-to-lock option, so you’ll need to open it to fill in the feeder and then zip it again. The pack contains about 150,000 seeds every 250 grams. The quantity is sufficient to please your birds.

The package has a map that you can see on the back of the bag. This chart displays the kinds of seeds that various birds like. Besides this, it includes quality Nyjer seeds which include a good proportion of high protein and high-fat content. Although Wagner has manufactured it primarily for finches, you will need to fill them in finch feeders having small holes and small perches.

Key Features:

  • A good scent that will attract birds
  • Suitable for birdseed for finches
  • Attracts American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, and songbirds
  • High quality
  • High energy content
  • Extra clean seed

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 15.4 x 10.1 x 3.1 inches
  • Product Weight: 9.43 pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Wagners’
  • Product ASIN: B000OOKJ58
  • Product Size: 10-pound bag
  • Product color: milk color
Pros
  • It comes in a resalable bag.
  • Attracts goldfinches and finches
  • High-quality seed
Cons
  • The bag is not moisture-proof

6

Kaytee Mealworms Bird Seed

Kaytee Mealworms are a perfect source of high protein food for many wild birds. It’s a high-energy treatment that draws birds that could be difficult to remove with various daily bird seed blends.

Food worms, for instance, are a perfect treat for bluebirds, wrens, robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, and cardinals.

Mealworms are also an important food source for baby birds. Mealworms may be used on their own in a feeder or combined with your preferred wild birdseed. Kaytee Mealworms are renowned for their excellent consistency. Mealworms are oven-dried for the highest consistency and also allow food worms to be kept free of preservatives, chemicals, and food for birds.

The top feeders for mealworms are mesh feeders and platform feeders; however you can utilize anything you want. All year long, these mealworms are very good to use.

You would like to hear about this brand because they use an eco-conscious box with a packing weight of 70.8 percent smaller than standard plastic cans.

Key Features:

  • High protein food source
  • High energy treat
  • Attracts several species
  • Traditional seed blend
  • Can be fed alone in a feeder
  • An essential source of food

Specification:

  • Product Dimensions: 3.3 x 9.8 x 14.2 inches
  • Product Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Central Garden and Pet
  • Product ASIN: B004X7BXYI
  • Product Size: 17.6 Ounce
  • Product Color: Green
Pros
  • It has a lot of nutritional value.
  • It does not smell bad.
  • High-quality seed
Cons
  • It does not instantly attract birds

7

Audubon Park Black Oil Sunflower Seed

The Sunflower seed from Audubon Black Oil is developed especially for wildbirds and it comes in a 10 pounds size. More so, it’s one of the most common bird feeds. The product will attract a wide range of wild birds, including titmice, grosbeaks, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, and finches.

Black oil sunflower seeds are the perfect bird seeds in your backyard for platform feeders for feeding birds. The thin shell of these seeds makes it easy for the various types of birds to carry and open the seeds. This means that your birds will have to make a minimal effort to eat these seeds.

Since they are family farmed seeds, you will be given this commodity with high-quality bird feed. However, you will need to add them to feeders to feed your pets. These seeds can last longer since they are contained in the egg.

Key Features:

  • Excellent source of fats
  • Seeds come with a thin covering.
  • Birds find it easy to eat.
  • High-quality bird feed
  • Attracts a variety of birds
  • Great for all feeders

Specification:

  • Product Dimensions: 25 x 16 x 4 inches
  • Product weight: 20 pounds
  • Manufacturer: Global Harvest foods
  • Product ASIN: B00GX12OWC
  • Product Model Number: 10427
  • Product Color: Green and Red
Pros
  • Debris Free
  • Storage is in a heavy-duty bag.
  • High-quality seed
Cons
  • It quickly gets moldy.

8

Audubon Park High Energy Suet Wild Bird Food

Audubon Park is a trusted brand of bird food items, and wild bird food is a rare treat for songbirds like cardinals.

This package contains ten individual suet cakes that can be conveniently hanging or attached to different devices.

These sweet cakes are rugged and sturdy at first sight, but they can quickly be broken down if wild birds get hold of them. Rendered beef suet and black oil sunflower seed make up half of the ingredients in these cakes, ensuring that the cardinals are sure to love these sweets.

But sometimes, serving these delicious cakes in your backyard will fit the feeding habits of the cardinals. This suet kit was planned to draw birds that would prefer a higher-fat diet instead of only getting birdseed alone.

Small basket feeders are the best alternative for suet cake positioning since they can keep up concrete food blocks.

Key Features:

  • A balanced blend of sunflower seeds
  • Contains essential nutrients
  • Edibility is at 100%
  • It has no fillers
  • It contains no artificial additives.
  • Its freshness can be maintained.

Specification:

  • Product dimension: 1.25 x 5 x 5 inches
  • Product Weight: 11 ounces
  • Manufacturer: Global Harvest Foods
  • Product ASIN: B0051O90VU
  • Product Style: High Energy
  • Product Model Number: 13065
Pros
  • High-quality seed
  • Does not leave out debris after a cardinal feed on them
  • High-quality, attractive package
Cons
  • Some users complained about pricing.

9

Lyric Sunflower Kernels

This Lyric Sunflower kernel is a perfect no-mess choice to draw the most significant number of birds in your yard. It lures buntings, cardinals, chickadees, finches, flickers, cucumbers, nuts, redheads, boobs, towels, woodpeckers.

The kernels in this birdseed are the heart of the “stuff” of black sunflower oil, the most common wild bird food. The grains have protein and fat that wild birds require. We particularly like this wild bird seed because there would be no wasting of shells on your deck or porch.

It’s 100% edible; there’s no waste and no weeds. As its 100% nutritious, it’s going to stretch your feed dollars even more. Since Lyric Sunflower Kernels are made up of pre-coated seeds, it is essential to use a feeder to shield them from snow and rain. If these unshelled seeds are wet or damp, they’re going to spoil quickly. Typically sunflower seeds can be used in most feeders, including hopper feeders, tray feeders, and tube feeders.

Key Features:

  • Good food for birds
  • No weeds, no waste
  • It has no shells
  • It attracts several kinds of birds.
  • You can use it in a feeder.
  • It has stayed fresh technology inside.

Specification:

  • Product dimension: 22.5 x 13.5 x 2 inches
  • Product Weight: 5 Pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Lebanon Seaboard Corporation
  • Product ASIN: B000BQPFIK
  • Product Size: 5 lb
  • Product Style: Sunflower Kernels
Pros
  • It stays fresh all the time.
  • High-quality bird seed
  • Attracts a wide variety of birds
Cons
  • It cannot get wet and could spoil quickly.

10

Lyric Fruit and Nut High Energy Wild Bird Food

Lyric Wild Bird Food is a luxury brand made in small batches in the family-owned and runs bird enthusiasts’ company.

This nut and fruit mixture is a high-energy bird mixture made from all-natural ingredients without fillers. It’s made from 70% dried fruit and nuts.

It’s a manually-crafted mix of shelled peanuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, dried cranberries, Valencia peanuts, raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, pistachio, black sunflower seeds, and steamed crumbs.

This gourmet mix is perfect for attracting chickadees, fawns, orioles, blue jays, titmice, buntings, cardinals, currants, towels, nuts, and cedar waxwings.

Use a feeder to shield them from snow and rain. If these unshelled nuts and seeds get wet or damp, they’re going to spoil quickly. Make sure to use a feeder specifically built for nut mixtures, as large parts can otherwise cloggy the feeder.

Key Features:

  • High energy wild bird mix
  • Gourmet blend
  • Seeds and shells fruit nut
  • Natural ingredient
  • Attracts cardinals, towhees, cedar waxing, and buntings

Specification:

  • Product Dimension: 26 x 11 x 13.5 inches
  • Product Weight: 19.75 pounds
  • Product Manufacturer: Lebanon Seaboard Corporation
  • Product Style: Food
  • Product Size: 20 lbs
  • Product ASIN: B002VDRB06
  • Product Model Number: 2647417
Pros
  • It stays fresh all the time.
  • Attracts a wide variety of birds
  • Natural ingredients included
Cons
  • This blend has larger chunks and suitable for small feeders.

Buying Guide Questions

What to look out for when purchasing bird seeds

There are several bird seed brands on the market these days. All of which shows their prospective customers that they are more beneficial than others. Unfortunately, only a handful of these brands are suitable for poultry.

If this is the first time you have selected a birdseed brand to use in your bird feeder, here are some suggestions to decide the right bird seed brand:

Look out for customer-centric or customer most loved brands

There are practically hundreds, if not thousands, of birdseed products on the market these days. If you don’t determine which version to believe, you can always start looking online and read the best reviews about it. That way, you’ll hear about the pros and cons of buying a product that could influence your choice.

Look out for brands with the most nutritional value

It is undeniably valid that birds cannot find adequate food in their habitat. This is because of the damage that humans have done to the world. The birds’ food supply slowly becomes drained over time, forcing them to scavenge for less nutritious food. If bird seeds are very nutritious, those birds that visit your bird feeder will live healthier.

Mix Proportions

When choosing a mix of the commodity, you need to look for fillers such as corn, oats, and wheat. Often ensure all the seeds are sunflower, Nyjer, and safflower, and millet. Everything with a mixture of fillers is undoubtedly not worth your money.

Look out for products that local birds would love

Firstly, you have to understand the species of birds that roam your place. Suppose these birds are around all year long, so it is reasonable to buy a large supply of bird seeds or mealworms. If the birds drawn to your bird feeders are migratory, you need to buy bird seeds and food worms when they’re around.

Look out for the packaging

Bird seeds and mealworms ought to be fresh at all times. If you purchase a birdseed commodity in significant amounts, it is safer if the packaging used is resalable. You would no longer need to move the contents to a different container this way. Besides, the freshness of the seeds or mealworms is often ensured. Read more here: (Best Books about Birds for Bird Watchers in 2021)

Quantity

This is the sum of seeds in grams. If you are the sort that sets up a lot of bird feeders in your house, then you probably need more bird seeds to refill them.

Look out for the product ingredient

Learn if the brand you have picked uses harmful chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides to drive insects out. In this way, birds will not suffer from toxicity and other undesirable health conditions later on.

Recognizing which brand to buy is very dull. With these straightforward guidelines, you can be sure that the birdseed markings you choose are the right ones for the birds in your field. These recommendations would ensure that birds are not only happy but that they are both protected and flourishing at the same time.

What kind of birdseed attracts the most birds?

One of the top seed which lures the widest variety of birds, and so the mainstay for most backyard bird feeders, is sunflower;

Here is the type of bird seeds that attracts the most birds: Shelled, Cracked corn, red millet, flax, Sunflower, Safflower, proso millet, Peanuts, sorghum or Milo, and Thistle, Nyjer and Golden millet.

Where is the best place to buy birdseed?

Although it’s such a good idea to support your local stores, it’s more convenient to purchase your bird seeds online via the Amazon website. Nevertheless, if you’d love to buy them from local stores, you can visit reputable stores like; Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco. Also see: (Best Gifts for Bird Lovers in 2021)

What food attracts different birds?

Using various feeders will attract more birds, as will using a variety of other foods.

Supplemental Foods

Nyjer.

Peanuts.

Suet.

Safflower seeds.

Mixed birdseed.

Black oil sunflower seeds.

Millet.

Mealworms.

Why do birds throw seed out of feeder?

There is a simple answer to this: the possible explanation of why birds throw seed out of a feeder is because they ignore low-quality food to pursue something better. It sucked the fun of watching that much seed go to waste.

Where is the cheapest place to buy birdseed?

One of the cheapest places to purchase birdseed is through the online platform Amazon. Although, some local stores run discounts for a specific period. Some of these stores are Target and Wal-Mart.

What can I feed birds if I don’t have birdseed?

If you do not have birdseeds, luckily, some household foods will suffice for birds. Here are some foods; Eggshells, Apples, Melon, Bananas, Pumpkin, Cooked Pasta, Rice, Peanut Butter Raisins, Hard Cheese, and Squash Seeds.

Why is Nyjer seed so expensive?

It is one of the most costly seeds due to shipping costs from tropical regions and because it is heat sterilized to destroy weed seeds such as Dodder, which is present in many Niger seed harvests. Redpolls feed on birch and willow seeds and are generally referred to as birch siskins.

What is the best seed for wild birds?

For wild birds, there is some nice birdseed to feed them. Sunflower, Safflower, Nyjer or thistle, White proso millet, Shelled, cracked corn, Peanuts, Milo or sorghum, Golden millet, red millet, flax, and others.

Do birds eat from feeders at night?

All birds who consume seeds, nuts, or even suet/suet dough are daytime (or diurnal) forebears, which means they want food during daylight hours. Many of these mammals are known to visit bird feeders at night to participate in the seeds and nuts and other yummier offered.

Why are sunflower seeds bad for birds?

The fact regarding sunflowers is that they are rich in sugars and fat and lacking in essential nutrients. Pet birds that are fed seeds become overweight and can develop fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis, leading to strokes and heart attacks.

What birds don’t eat sunflower seeds?

All types of sunflower seeds are loved with finches, chickadees, berries, currants, cardinals, jays, and even certain species of woodpeckers. There’s only one problem with sunflower seed—bubble birds, such as blackbirds, European starlings, and caterpillars, love it, mainly if it’s provided in a tray feeder.

Conclusion

The most important thing to consider when choosing birdseed is that not all birds love seed. So, if you want a lot of birds floating around your backyard, you’ll need to add other kinds of food to your feeder.

You should add nectar, berries, fruit, and suet to the buffet of your yard to attract several birds. Creating various feeding stations with a combination of bird feed is the most efficient way to lure birds to your feeders.

When choosing the right bird seed to attract birds, make sure you have enough of your birdseed allowance. However, it is essential to guarantee the consistency of the product you are buying to feed your feathered mates. Not to mention, birds need to be provided with food that can relieve their appetite and fuel their bodies.