Why Your Bird Seed Isn't Attracting Birds — And What To Do Instead

Americans love feeding birds, spending more than half a billion dollars annually to make sure these back yard friends don't go hungry. That's why it's disheartening when the birds aren't coming around. If birds aren't attracted to the bird seed in your feeder, it's probably because they don't like what's on the menu. Store-bought bird-seed mixes are convenient, but the mix of seeds in most of them doesn't please every bird — and some common seeds satisfy hardly any birds. These unpopular seeds include wheat, millet, sorghum (also known as milo), oats, and flaxseed, which often go to waste.

If you actually handed birds a menu, most would order sunflowers, the seed loved by the greatest number of backyard bird species — at least 40. The server would then have to ask, "Will that be black oil, striped, or gray sunflower seeds?" and most birds will choose black oil, the smallest sunflower seeds with a thin hull that's relatively easy to crack. Of the three kinds of sunflower seeds, the black oil variety have the most oil, providing fat that give birds the energy they need to thrive.

Unfortunately, everyone's favorite unwanted guests dining at your feeder — squirrels — also love sunflowers, so you'll want to avoid common mistakes that are attracting squirrels to your bird feeder – like failing to clean up the empty hulls. You'll want to do that even if you don't have squirrel pests because the bits of remaining sunflower meat spoil easily and become a health hazard to birds. The hulls also give off a chemical that keeps plants from growing. You can consider black oil sunflowers with no hulls, though these are pricier than the variety with hulls.

To add variety in the feeder and attract birds like house sparrows that don't favor sunflowers, consider safflower, a favorite of cardinals that's unappealing to squirrels. Finches love nyjer seed. Those seed-mix "fillers" — white proso millet seeds and sorghum — are perfect for ground-feeding birds like quails, juncos, doves, and towhees. Place seeds for these birds directly on the ground or in a low feeder. Some birds enjoy corn kernels and peanuts, but these can be problematic because they also attract mammals like deer and raccoons that don't need help and can be a nuisance.

Golden millet, red millet, and flax have little appeal for birds and are likely to go to waste if used. Check out DIY seed recipes that offer variety to the birds in your yard for seeds best suited to birds that frequent your yard. The University of New Hampshire Extension recommends a mix that consists of 50% sunflower seeds, 35% white proso millet, and 15% finely cracked corn.

While unattractive food is likely the main reason birds aren't coming around, other issues could be behind their absence — such as wet or spoiled seeds, a dirty feeder, new feeder, or a feeder in a new location birds haven't discovered. It's also possible predators are scaring birds away. To boost cleanliness in your feeder area, consider a seed block, the seed product that keeps birds from tossing and making a mess. Observe your feeder regularly to identify and correct any issues.