Bird food

"Bird seed" redirects here. For the Whitehouse album, see Bird Seed (album). For the Lou Donaldson album, see Birdseed (album).
A mixture of seeds in a bird feeder

Bird food or bird seed is food intended for consumption by wild, commercial, or pet birds. It is typically composed of seeds, nuts, dry fruits, flour, and may be enriched with vitamins and proteins.[1]

Bird food can vary depending upon dietary habits and beak shapes. Dietary habits refer to whether birds are naturally omnivores, carnivores, herbivores, insectivores or nectarivores. The shape of the beak, which correlates with dietary habits, is important in determining how a bird can crack the seed coat and obtain the meat of the seed.[2]

Black-oil sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of birds[3] and are commonly used in backyard bird feeders.[4] Using a variety of seeds can help attract specific types of birds to gardens and backyards. In general, mixtures predominantly containing red millet, oats, and other "fillers" are not attractive to most birds. These mixtures can lead to waste as the birds sort through the mix,[5] and can potentially result in fungal and bacterial growth.

While popular, bird feeders carry potential risks for the birds that feed from them, including disease,[6] malnutrition,[7] and predation by animals.[8] Researchers recommend that bird feeders should be disinfected every time they are refilled.[6]

  1. ^ "What do Birds Eat? | What to Feed Wild Birds". The RSPB. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. ^ Tryjanowski, Piotr; Møller, Anders Pape; Morelli, Federico; Indykiewicz, Piotr; Zduniak, Piotr; Myczko, Łukasz (18 May 2018). "Food preferences by birds using bird-feeders in winter: a large-scale experiment". Avian Research. 9 (1): 16. doi:10.1186/s40657-018-0111-z. ISSN 2053-7166.
  3. ^ "Feeding Birds: a Quick Guide to Seed Types". All About Birds. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  4. ^ Wilson, Sam. "Feeding Birds". FeederWatch. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Feeding Birds: A Quick Guide to Seed Types". 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Birds that eat at feeders more likely to get sick, spread disease". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Feeding birds". The RSPB. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Backyard Feeders: Dangers To Watch Out For". Petcha. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.