The NBFS is pleased to provide you with wild bird food preference charts for eastern and western North America.  Use the charts below to help attract birds you want to your yard.

Preferred Bird Food

© Roger Mayhorn

While there are numerous types of bird food, a limited number of seeds are most attractive to birds.  For seed-eating birds, black oil sunflower, hulled sunflower, Nyjer^®, and whole peanuts are most attractive.  Bird seeds such as red milo are less preferred by wild birds.

Bird seed alone will not maximize the number of species visiting your yard.  Alternative foods such as nectar and fruits will attract species that normally would not visit bird feeders such as bluebirds, robins, hummingbirds, and orioles. 

Choose your wild bird food preferences chart:

• Eastern North America
• Western North America