Just think if we did that! Anyway food is the #1 way to attract wild birds to your backyard or garden. Just put it out and they’ll come. The best part of it is that you don’t have to wait until Spring. Wild birds are here in Georgia year round. Though some breeds will migrate, others would rather hang around old territory.

You can choose what types of birds you want to cater to by what seed and feeder combinations you place in your yard. The following is general information on what type feeders each species prefers.

Ground Table Feeders -

These are feeders that are close to the ground and are little more than a wood shelf with drainage. Some folks will simply scatter the seeds on the ground but it’s best to have a platform that drains rather than solid ground so seeds and bird droppings don’t mix.

These birds often visit this type of feeder:

Cardinals / Doves / Goldfinches / Juncos / Pheasants / Sparrows / Starlings / Towhees

Platform Feeders -

These are feeders that most times are set up about 5’ high on a pole or hanging that dispenses seed as the birds eat and provides a large platform for them to walk around on. They also can be used on the ground for ground-feeding birds like those listed above.

These birds often visit this type of feeder:

Blackbirds / Cardinals / Chickadees / Cowbirds / Doves / Finches / Grackles / Jays / Juncos / Nuthatches / Quail (Bob White) / Siskins / Sparrows / Starlings / Titmice / Towhees

Tube Feeders -

These are tubes meant to hang at least 5’ high and dispense single kinds of seed such as Sunflower or Cracked Corn. More types of birds will visit it if it has a tray attached to the bottom. If an asterisk (*) appears beside the name on the bird on the list below it means that the bird does NOT need a tray on the feeder, thus, you can control the types that feed by not adding a tray to the tube.

These birds often visit this type of feeder:

Cardinals / Chickadees / Doves / Finches / Grackles / Jays / Juncos / Nuthatches* / Siskins* / Sparrows / Starlings / Titmice / Woodpeckers*

Thistle Feeders -

These are tube feeders with smaller holes and no tray designed specifically to dispense thistle.

These birds often visit this type of feeder:

Chickadees / Doves / Finches / Juncos / Siskins / Sparrows

Suet Feeders -

Suet is raw beef fat that has been prepared for birds to consume. It is offered to birds in a wire cage that is mounted on a tree trunk or hung on a branch. It’s often hung beside more traditional seed feeders to offer a two-course meal. Suet should not be set out in temperatures above 70° because it will melt and turn bad.

These birds love suet:

Brown Thrashers / Cardinals / Chickadees / Creepers / Kinglets / Nuthatches / Starlings Woodpeckers / Wrens

Add peanut butter and you’ll also attract:

Goldfinches / Juncos / Thrushes / Jays / Bluebirds

Note: Starlings, who love suet, are aggressive and can chase other birds away. To discourage them use a cage that is covered on all sides and where the suet is only available through the bottom. Starlings cannot eat upside down like other birds such as Woodpeckers.

The Difference in Seed

It’s tempting to buy a birdseed mix from the local grocery store. It’s less expensive and it has almost "everything" any kind of bird would want. The facts are that it’s loaded with weed seed that most wild birds won’t touch so you end up wasting money. To make things worse, these seeds end up scattered and grow into major weeds. The best thing to do is buy each kind of seed separate.

Sunflower Seeds - The all-time favorite seed of choice is the sunflower seed. Very few birds will not eat these. Black sunflower seeds, aka oil seeds, are preferred over the gray and white striped sunflower seeds found at the grocery store for human consumption.

Thistle - Thistle, also called niger, is a tiny black seed so light that it could blow away. It’s more expensive than other seeds but the up side to niger is that squirrels do not like it. Goldfinches love it along with Chickadees, Crows, Doves, Finches, Juncos, Siskins, and Sparrows.

White Millet - This is probably the least expensive of the seeds and is perfect to scatter on the ground or use in low platform feeders for Blackbirds, Cowbirds, Doves, Juncos, Robins, Sparrows, Titmice and Woodpeckers.

Peanuts - Peanut pieces are best and can be put in any kind of tube or platform feeder. Whole shelled peanuts can be a choking hazard to young birds and shelled peanuts are harder for them to eat. These can be used, however, and placed in special mesh peanut holders or strung on a string. Peanuts are favored by Greenfinches, Titmice, Finches, Nuthatches, Siskins and Woodpeckers.