Food › Sunflower seed

What birds eat sunflower seed?

Of the 118 real birds in our field guide, 39 come to feeders for sunflower seed: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove and House Finch and more.

In North American yards and woods: Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-winged Blackbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pyrrhuloxia, Steller's Jay, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Northern Flicker.

It is the first choice of Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-winged Blackbird, Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Crimson Rosella, Pyrrhuloxia, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Nuthatch and Eurasian Bullfinch: when several foods are out, they go for this one.

About sunflower seed

Black-oil sunflower seed has a thin shell and a lot of fat inside, which is why it brings more kinds of feeder birds than any other single seed.

Offer it in a tube, hopper or platform feeder. Hulled sunflower (sunflower chips) costs more but leaves no shells under the feeder.

In the game, sunflower seed goes in the tube feeder and platform feeder.

Backyard Eastern North America

Northern CardinalBackyard

First choice. Also: millet, peanuts.

Blue JayBackyard

Also: peanuts, suet.

American GoldfinchBackyard

Also: nyjer seed.

Black-capped ChickadeeBackyard

First choice. Also: suet, peanuts.

Tufted TitmouseBackyard

First choice. Also: peanuts, suet.

Downy WoodpeckerBackyard

Also: suet, peanuts.

Mourning DoveBackyard

Also: millet.

House FinchBackyard

First choice. Also: nyjer seed, millet.

Dark-eyed JuncoBackyard

Also: millet.

White-breasted NuthatchBackyard

First choice. Also: peanuts, suet.

Northwest forest Pacific Northwest, Washington State

Steller's JayNorthwest forest

Also: peanuts, suet.

Varied ThrushNorthwest forest

Also: millet, fruit.

Spotted TowheeNorthwest forest

Also: millet.

Chestnut-backed ChickadeeNorthwest forest

First choice. Also: suet, peanuts.

Red-breasted NuthatchNorthwest forest

First choice. Also: suet, peanuts.

Northern FlickerNorthwest forest

Also: suet.

Desert scrub Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico

Curve-billed ThrasherDesert scrub

Also: fruit, mealworms.

PyrrhuloxiaDesert scrub

First choice. Also: millet.

Lake and wetland North American lakes and marshes

Red-winged BlackbirdLake and wetland

First choice. Also: millet.

Sea cliffs North Atlantic coast, in summer

Snow BuntingSea cliffs

Also: millet.

African savanna Southern and East Africa, at sunset

Southern Masked WeaverAfrican savanna

Also: millet.

Helmeted GuineafowlAfrican savanna

Also: millet.

Laughing DoveAfrican savanna

Also: millet.

Australian bush Eastern Australia, among gum trees

GalahAustralian bush

First choice. Only this food.

Sulphur-crested CockatooAustralian bush

First choice. Also: peanuts.

Crimson RosellaAustralian bush

First choice. Also: fruit.

Garden pond East Asia, at the Summer Palace in Beijing

Spotted DoveGarden pond

Also: millet.

Eurasian Tree SparrowGarden pond

Also: millet.

City park Europe, in a London park

European RobinCity park

Also: mealworms, suet.

Eurasian Blue TitCity park

First choice. Also: peanuts, suet.

Great TitCity park

First choice. Also: peanuts, suet.

Common ChaffinchCity park

First choice. Also: millet.

European GoldfinchCity park

Also: nyjer seed.

Great Spotted WoodpeckerCity park

Also: peanuts, suet.

Eurasian JayCity park

Also: peanuts.

Eurasian NuthatchCity park

First choice. Also: peanuts, suet.

Common Wood PigeonCity park

Also: millet.

Eurasian BullfinchCity park

First choice. Only this food.

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

Oriental Turtle-DoveMountain lake

Also: millet.

Other foods

Nyjer seed (3)Millet (24)Peanuts (18)Suet (21)Fruit (25)Nectar (9)Mealworms (20)