Food › Peanuts

What birds eat peanuts?

Of the 118 real birds in our field guide, 18 come to feeders for peanuts: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and more.

In North American yards and woods: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, Gila Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

It is the first choice of Blue Jay, Steller's Jay, Azure-winged Magpie, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Eurasian Jay: when several foods are out, they go for this one.

About peanuts

Peanuts are rich in fat and protein, a favorite of jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice.

Use plain, unsalted peanuts: shelled in a mesh peanut feeder, or whole in the shell on a platform for jays.

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

Backyard Eastern North America

Northern CardinalBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, millet.

Blue JayBackyard

First choice. Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Black-capped ChickadeeBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Tufted TitmouseBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Downy WoodpeckerBackyard

Also: suet, sunflower seed.

Carolina WrenBackyard

Also: suet, mealworms.

White-breasted NuthatchBackyard

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Northwest forest Pacific Northwest, Washington State

Steller's JayNorthwest forest

First choice. Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Chestnut-backed ChickadeeNorthwest forest

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Red-breasted NuthatchNorthwest forest

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Desert scrub Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico

Gila WoodpeckerDesert scrub

Also: fruit, suet, nectar.

Australian bush Eastern Australia, among gum trees

Sulphur-crested CockatooAustralian bush

Also: sunflower seed.

Garden pond East Asia, at the Summer Palace in Beijing

Azure-winged MagpieGarden pond

First choice. Also: fruit, mealworms.

City park Europe, in a London park

Eurasian Blue TitCity park

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Great TitCity park

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Great Spotted WoodpeckerCity park

First choice. Also: suet, sunflower seed.

Eurasian JayCity park

First choice. Also: sunflower seed.

Eurasian NuthatchCity park

Also: sunflower seed, suet.

Other foods

Sunflower seed (39)Nyjer seed (3)Millet (24)Suet (21)Fruit (25)Nectar (9)Mealworms (20)