Greetings!
We hope you enjoy this edition of the Backyard Bird Feeder. The Backyard Bird Feeder is designed to be informative, colorful, and full of birds. We always welcome feedback about your bird feeding experiences, and want to know how the NBFS can enhance your bird feeding efforts. Enjoy feeding the birds! Dave & Stacey The NBFS Staff |
|
|
Tips - What bird seeds do birds like best?
When one goes to purchase bird seed, the buyer has many options. Not only can one purchase bags with a single seed type, but individuals can purchase bird seed blends containing many different types of seed. How does one know which bird seed to buy? Recently, a three-year, one million dollar study of bird seed and feeder preferences in the United States and Canada attempted to answer this and other questions about bird feeding. The study known as PROJECT WILDBIRD® was coordinated by Dr. David Horn and Stacey Shonkwiler at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and funded by the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Research Foundation.  There are nine major seed types that are common in bird seed blends: black-oil sunflower, cracked corn, sunflower hearts (also known as sunflower chips or hulled sunflower), Nyjer® (formerly known as thistle), red milo, safflower, striped sunflower, white proso millet, and whole peanuts (peanuts out of the shell and split in half). Of the nine seed types, four are most attractive to birds: black-oil sunflower, sunflower hearts, Nyjer®, and white proso millet.  Nyjer® and sunflower hearts are the preferred seeds of smaller finches such as the American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin. Large finches such as House Finch and Purple Finch, Northern Cardinal, and species that take a seed from the feeder and eat it elsewhere such as chickadees, prefer black-oil sunflower. Birds that feed on the ground including Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and Mourning Dove prefer white proso millet.  Bird seed such as red milo is unattractive to most birds visiting bird feeders. Thus, purchasing bird food blends containing large amounts of red milo may result in bird seed that goes unused and a poor bird feeding experience.  While white proso millet is a preferred seed of species such as Chipping Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco, the seed is also the preferred bird seed of species such as House Sparrow and Brown-headed Cowbird. Both of these species can have negative ecological impacts. For example, House Sparrows compete with bluebirds for bird houses and Brown-headed Cowbirds are nest parasites that lay their eggs in other bird's nests. To enhance the bird feeding experience, consider using seed blends with large proportions of black-oil sunflower, sunflower hearts, and Nyjer®. Such bird seed blends can attract more birds without the bird seed going to waste.
|
|
Tales - Species Profile: Black-capped & Mountain Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
 Black-capped Chickadees are one of the most widespread and well known birds in the United States and Canada. They are found coast to coast and from central Canada to central United States. Black-capped Chickadees are common in wooded areas including forests, parks, and neighborhoods.  The Black-capped Chickadee is on average five inches in length and weighs between nine and fourteen grams. The Black-capped Chickadee has a black cap and bib with white cheeks. Its underparts are white and transitions to buffy on the sides. The Black-capped Chickadee's back is light gray and its wings have bold white edges. The Black-capped Chickadee's closest relative is the Mountain Chickadee and not the very similar looking Carolina Chickadee.  Both the male and female Black-capped Chickadee excavate a cavity for the nest, which averages 21 cm deep. The female builds the cup-shaped nest using moss for the foundation and rabbit fur for the lining. Nests are usually found between two and seven meters high. Chickadees are active, acrobatic, curious, social birds that live in flocks, often associating with woodpeckers, nuthatches, warblers, vireos, and other small woodland species. In the spring, summer, and fall, the Black-capped Chickadee's diet consists of 80-90% animal matter (insects and spiders); however, during the winter, the Black-capped Chickadee's diet consists of 50% plant matter (seeds and berries) and 50% animal matter. The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items in different spots to eat later, and can remember the thousands of hiding places. At bird feeders, Black-capped Chickadees prefer black-oil sunflower, as well as hulled sunflower and suet, and will visit tube, hopper, and platform feeders. Similar Species: Boreal Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, and White-breasted Nuthatch Mountain Chickadee
 Mountain Chickadees can be found in western North America from southern Arizona to northern British Columbia. Mountain Chickadees and Black-capped Chickadees are found in different habitats where their ranges overlap. The Mountain Chickadee tends to be found in evergreens on high slopes, while the Black-capped Chickadee is found along streams.  The Mountain Chickadee is on average five inches in length and weighs about 11 grams. The Mountain Chickadee is similar in appearance to the Black-capped Chickadee, but the black cap is broken up by a white stripe over the eye. Mountain Chickadees nest in cavities created by other birds such as woodpeckers and nuthatches, and they also build nests in bird houses. In the cavity, the female Mountain Chickadee makes a cup from fur, which can be several inches deep depending on the size of the cavity. Mountain Chickadees feed on insects (beetles, caterpillars, and wasp larvae) during the warm months and consume spiders and conifer seeds during the cooler months. At bird feeders, Mountain Chickadees have similar preferences to the Black-capped Chickadee. Similar Species: Black-capped Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, and White-breasted Nuthatch For more information about the Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, and similar species, visit the NBFS Backyard Bird Guide. |
|
Tactics - A bird's behavior can tell you its bird seed preference
Getting to know the birds visiting your yard can help you determine what their bird seed preferences are. Common birds visiting your feeders can be grouped into three different categories: Sit n' Eat®, Grab n' Go®, and Floor Feeders.
 Sit n' Eat® species visit a feeder and stay at the feeder while they feed. These species include small and large finches, cardinals and grosbeaks. Sit n' Eat® species prefer three major seed types. Small finches including goldfinches and siskins prefer Nyjer® and sunflower hearts, while the other Sit n' Eat® species feed readily on black-oil sunflower. To attract small finches consider offering a tubular feeder filled with a blend of their preferred seed. For other Sit n' Eat® species, any of the three major feeder types (tube, hopper, and platform) filled with large proportions of black-oil sunflower would be appropriate.
 Grab n' Go® birds take a seed from the bird feeder and eat the seed elsewhere. Members of this group include chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. These species prefer black-oil sunflower, as well as whole peanuts (peanuts out of the shell and split in half). Grab n' Go® birds can be found at any of the three major feeder types.
 Floor Feeders are typically ground-feeding birds that may also eat on an elevated feeder, particularly hopper and platform feeders with suitable amounts of space for perching. Floor Feeders typically prefer white proso millet and include juncos and sparrows, towhees, and doves. Floor Feeders can be attracted to your yard by seed on the ground, or hopper or platform feeders with large ledges or spaces for the bird to land and forage.
The next time you want to know what seed birds prefer, let the birds tell you. Observe the behavior of the birds you want to attract, and then provide them with their preferred seeds.
|
|
Featured Product - NBFS Mug
 Begin your morning by watching wild birds at your bird feeder with a cup of coffee in your NBFS mug. Check out the mug at the NBFS E-store.
|
|
National Bird-Feeding Society
Millikin University
1184 W. Main Street
Decatur, IL 62522
|
|
|
|
|
National Bird-Feeding SocietyThe NBFS is the ultimate resource for enhancing your wild bird feeding experience, and helps make the backyard bird feeding and watching hobby better - for people and wild birds. The NBFS accomplishes its mission by connecting hobbyists with education and research about backyard bird feeding. |
|
