Backyard Birds: Feeding Birds in the Winter

Winter is not the time that people usually think about sitting in the backyard and watching birds, but if you can catch a nice day, brave the cold, or watch through a window, winter can be one of the best times to view backyard birds in Texas.



There are several species of birds that can be attracted to your yard in the winter that can not be seen other seasons. Along with your year-round residents, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, are all common backyard visitors in the winter.

I have compiled my rankings of different seeds and feeds that you can use in the winter in order to attract different species of birds:

1) Black-Oil Sunflower Seeds

• House Finch
• American Goldfinch
• Northern Cardinal
• Black-crested Titmouse / Tufted Titmouse
• Carolina Chickadee
• White-winged Dove / Mourning Dove / Eurasian-collard Dove

Black-oil sunflower seeds attract a wide variety of birds throughout the year and are full of protein and oil, which is important for the birds in the winter for the birds.  Although black-oil sunflower seeds are relatively inexpensive, they tend to "disappear" quickly from your feeders (but that's not bad!)

Black-oil sunflower seed can be fed through hopper style feeders, mesh tubes, or just spread around on branches.  Hoppers will allow for a larger variety of birds, but can be taken over by White-winged Doves and House Sparrows.  If those species take over the feeder, the Carolina Chickadee, House Finch, and American Goldfinch, can eat black-oil sunflower seeds out of a mesh tube feeder, while the others cannot.  I have also found that spreading the seeds around along the branch of a tree or on a fence has been particularly attractive to Northern Cardinals, House Finch, Black-crested Titmouse, and White-winged Dove.

2) Nyjer Seed

• American Goldfinch
• Lesser Goldfinch
• Pine Siskin
• Mourning Dove

Nyjer Seed is a small black seed from Africa.  It is also sometimes called thistle seed.  It is the best for attracting colorful Tejas winter finches like the American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, and Pine Siskins.  Other larger birds, or birds with larger beaks, can't get to the seed in the feeder, restricting the Nyjer Seed to those finches you have.  Some of the seed will fall onto the ground, and can attract other birds, like Mourning Doves.

Nyjer Seed should be fed in mesh feeders or tube style "finch feeders."  Yellow or white, soft sock-style feeders can be filled with Nyjer Seed and hung for your finch.  However these feeders will eventually wear out.  More durable metal mesh feeders are also available.  Tube style feeders provide  very thin slits to dispense the food.  Some of the food will inevitably fall to the ground where Mourning Doves can pick through it.

3) Suet

• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Blue Jay
• Downy Woodpeckers

Suet is basically a mix of different seeds, nuts, fruits, or meal-worms, that are then mixed together in fats and solidified.  It is full of calories that birds need in the winter time, making it a great way to attract different species of birds to your backyard.  There are different blends designed to attract different birds to your feeders.  Woodpeckers and Blue Jays are common year round, but I have found that suet is great for attracting Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, in the winter.

You can feed suet in a cage feeder, or cut it up and feed it as smaller chunks in a tray feeder.  You can also experiment and create your own mixes and blends.  This can save money and allows you to see what blends work best in your back yard.

4) Peanuts

• Woodpeckers (Golden-fronted / Downy Woodpeckers)
• Blue Jays
• Carolina Chickadee
• Black-crested Titmouse / Tufted Titmouse

Peanuts, whole or shelled, make a great winter feed.  They are full of calories and fat, providing energy that birds need in the winter.  They attract a wide variety of backyard birds in Texas, including Blue Jays, Carolina Chickadee, Black-crested and Tufted Titmice, and different species of woodpeckers.

I like to feed whole (in the shell) peanuts in a tray feeder, sometimes with other things like raisins or mealworms mixed in. This is the best way for Blue Jays, but I have also seen woodpeckers, titmice and Chickadees pecking into the shells.  For shelled peanuts, I usually use a tube feeder that is made from a large mesh.  I often have Titmice, chickadees, blue jays, woodpeckers, and even a Bewick's Wren from time to time sticking their beaks into the peanut feeder.

5) Quality Seed Mix

• Great for attracting many different species, depending on what you get in the mix.

Seed mixes can be good or bad, and you often get what you pay for with them.  You can purchase quality seed mixes to use in the winter, or you can make your own.  What you choose to use the seed mix depends really what you want out of it too. If you are only using one feeder, I would suggest using a mix that is a large percentage black-oil sunflower seed.  Thomas Moore Feed makes a good mix like this that they call their Songbird Mix (read my review of it here.)  It includes black-oil sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, and safflower seeds.  If you have another feeder that you only feed black-oil sunflower seeds in, using a seed mix with more grain in it can bring more birds to your yard.  Thomas Moore Feed makes a Premium Wild Bird Seed mix that includes mostly white millet, black-oil sunflower seeds, and cracked corn.  

Seed mixes work well in hopper style feeders, tray feeders, or just spread around on branches of the tree or fences.  They attract a wide variety of birds, but can often leave messes as birds sift through to find their favorite varieties.

Other Seasons:

Spring