Food › Millet

What birds eat millet?

Of the 118 real birds in our field guide, 24 come to feeders for millet: Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Wood Duck, Mallard, Red-winged Blackbird and Superb Starling and more.

In North American yards and woods: Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Wood Duck, Mallard, Red-winged Blackbird, Gambel's Quail, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-throated Sparrow, Varied Thrush and Spotted Towhee.

It is the first choice of Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Wood Duck, Mallard, Southern Masked Weaver, Helmeted Guineafowl, Laughing Dove, Gambel's Quail, Black-throated Sparrow, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Snow Bunting, Mandarin Duck, Spotted Dove, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Common Wood Pigeon, Ruddy Shelduck and Oriental Turtle-Dove: when several foods are out, they go for this one.

About millet

White proso millet is a small, round seed loved by birds that feed on the ground: doves, juncos, sparrows, towhees and quail.

Scatter a little on the ground or on a low platform feeder, close to a shrub where birds can hide.

In the game, millet goes in the tube feeder and platform feeder.

Backyard Eastern North America

Northern CardinalBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, peanuts.

Mourning DoveBackyard

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

House FinchBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, nyjer seed.

Dark-eyed JuncoBackyard

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Northwest forest Pacific Northwest, Washington State

Varied ThrushNorthwest forest

First choice. Also: sunflower seed, fruit.

Spotted TowheeNorthwest forest

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Desert scrub Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico

Gambel's QuailDesert scrub

First choice. Only this food.

PyrrhuloxiaDesert scrub

Also: sunflower seed.

Black-throated SparrowDesert scrub

First choice. Only this food.

Lake and wetland North American lakes and marshes

Wood DuckLake and wetland

First choice. Only this food.

MallardLake and wetland

First choice. Only this food.

Red-winged BlackbirdLake and wetland

Also: sunflower seed.

Sea cliffs North Atlantic coast, in summer

Snow BuntingSea cliffs

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

African savanna Southern and East Africa, at sunset

Superb StarlingAfrican savanna

Also: fruit, mealworms.

Southern Masked WeaverAfrican savanna

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Helmeted GuineafowlAfrican savanna

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Laughing DoveAfrican savanna

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Garden pond East Asia, at the Summer Palace in Beijing

Mandarin DuckGarden pond

First choice. Only this food.

Spotted DoveGarden pond

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Eurasian Tree SparrowGarden pond

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

City park Europe, in a London park

Common ChaffinchCity park

Also: sunflower seed.

Common Wood PigeonCity park

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Mountain lake Eastern Himalayas, Yunnan, China, at about 3,700 m

Ruddy ShelduckMountain lake

First choice. Only this food.

Oriental Turtle-DoveMountain lake

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Other foods

Sunflower seed (39)Nyjer seed (3)Peanuts (18)Suet (21)Fruit (25)Nectar (9)Mealworms (20)