Food intended for consumption by wild and domestic birds
"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]
^"What do Birds Eat? | What to Feed Wild Birds". The RSPB. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
^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.
^"Feeding Birds: a Quick Guide to Seed Types". All About Birds. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
Birdfood or bird seed is food intended for consumption by wild, commercial, or pet birds. It is typically composed of seeds, nuts, dry fruits, flour...
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parents. Most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching. Many species of birds are economically important as food for human consumption...
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different types of emulsions. The seed is used as birdfood. As the seeds are so small, specialized bird feeders are manufactured for niger seed. In the...
of food and will later re-hide food if it was watched by another bird the first time, but only if the bird hiding the food has itself stolen food before...
willow thickets, and disturbed areas. Mountain chickadees are food-caching birds. A single bird can hide as many as 80,000 individual seeds, which they retrieve...
fruits persist significantly into winter which makes them a valuable birdfood. A large number of fossil fruits of †Pyracantha acuticarpa have been described...
carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, nesting birds, and food waste. Some notable feats of problem-solving provide evidence that...
Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods founded in the USA and now owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe...
Africa, Mexico, Chile, and China. Since cumin is often used as part of birdfood and exported to many countries, the plant can occur as an introduced species...
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harder shells than the foothill paloverde. These are a food source for small rodents and birds. This plant is primarily found in the Sonoran Colorado...
either the entire bird cut into 8 individual pieces. (8-piece cut); or sometimes without the back. A 9-piece cut (usually for fast food restaurants) has...
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