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Bird Food · Pillar Guide
Bird Food · Pillar Guide
Best Bird Seed: What to Feed Wild Birds
Black-oil sunflower is the best single seed for most backyards. After that, the right food depends on the birds you want. We summarize Project FeederWatch's guidance on each major seed and suggest six products that match it.
By The Bird Feeder Guide Editorial Team · Research-based; we have not tested these products ourselves
Updated October 2026
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links below go to Amazon; we do not show prices because they change.
Quick Answer
Start with black-oil sunflower seed. Project FeederWatch calls it the most common seed offered at feeders in North America: high in energy, thin-shelled and a favorite of cardinals, chickadees, finches and sparrows.
Add nyjer for finches, suet for insect-eating birds, hulled sunflower if mess is a problem and avoid mixes heavy in milo, which most birds do not like.
What each seed does, per Project FeederWatch
A quick guide to the foods you will see on bags.
Black-oil sunflower
The most common feeder seed. High energy with thin shells; a favorite of cardinals, chickadees, finches and sparrows. Woodpeckers eat it occasionally.
Hulled sunflower
Sunflower without the shell, often called no-mess. It reduces chaff under feeders and any bird that eats sunflower will take it. Keep it dry because it spoils faster than sunflower in the shell.
Nyjer (thistle)
Attracts finches such as American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and Common Redpoll. It needs a feeder with very small ports and is best fed by itself rather than in a mix.
Safflower
Attracts cardinals and other big-billed birds, though FeederWatch says in its experience most birds prefer sunflower seeds.
Millet, corn and milo
Millet suits small ground-feeding birds such as juncos and sparrows. Cracked corn attracts doves, quail and sparrows. Milo is common in cheap mixes but is not a favorite of most birds and often goes to waste.
Peanuts and suet
Peanuts, shelled or in the shell, draw jays, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice; avoid salted or flavored ones. Suet suits insect-eating birds but can turn rancid in hot weather.
Six bird foods that fit
Details come from each Amazon listing. Check the listing for current price, size and ingredients.
Best all-round
Trailmark Naturals Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (5 lb)
Black-oil sunflower described as grown in the USA and suited to tray, hopper and tube feeders. A good starting seed for most backyards.
View on AmazonSongbird blend
Kaytee Songbird Blend (7 lb, 2-pack)
A mixed seed whose listing names cardinals, chickadees, titmice, finches, nuthatches, grosbeaks, juncos, indigo buntings and jays as visitors. Check the ingredient list for milo if you are in the east.
View on AmazonNuts and fruit
Pennington Songbird Nut and Fruit Blend
A blend of real fruit, nuts and seeds that the listing says attracts songbirds such as indigo buntings, chickadees, pine siskins, finches and cardinals.
View on AmazonLow mess
Wagner's and Lyric Delite No Waste Mix (5 lb)
A hulled mix with no shells. The listing says no shells means no weeds, waste or mess under feeders. Keep it dry because hulled seed spoils quickly.
View on AmazonNyjer for finches
Wagner's Nyjer with Perky-Pet Finch Feeder (481F)
A bundle of 5 pounds of Wagner's nyjer seed and a Perky-Pet finch feeder. The listing says nyjer contains about 150,000 seeds per pound and a resealable slider for convenience.
View on AmazonSuet
Heath All Season High Energy Suet Cakes (20-pack)
A 20-pack of all-season high-energy suet cakes for insect-eating birds. Offer suet in a cage feeder, and in cooler weather unless the cake is specially processed for heat.
View on AmazonBird seed questions
What is the best bird seed?
Black-oil sunflower, according to Project FeederWatch, which calls it the most common seed offered at feeders in North America and the preferred food of a wide variety of birds.
Which seed should I avoid?
Mixes heavy in milo. FeederWatch says milo is not a favorite of most birds and often goes to waste, and recommends avoiding mixes with large amounts of it in the east.
Can I feed peanuts?
Yes, raw or roasted, shelled or in the shell, but never salted or flavored. FeederWatch also says to watch for mold and throw out moldy peanuts immediately.
Related guides
More guides: feeding birds in winter · attracting goldfinches · feeders cardinals use
Sources and method
Seed descriptions come from Project FeederWatch. Product details were read from Amazon listings in October 2026. We have not tested these products. Corrections: corrections@thebirdfeederguide.com.
Photo: sunflower seeds by Zulfahmi Al Ridhawi on Unsplash
Last verified October 2026 · Next review April 2027