Guide

Feeding the Birds in Your Yard

Winter is prime feeding season, but a well-stocked yard draws visitors year-round. The right mix of seed, suet, and water can turn a small Oklahoma backyard into a reliable stop for dozens of species.

Photo: Josh Honig / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tube feeder

Hopper feeder

Suet cage

Ground scatter

The year-round staple

Black-oil sunflower seed is the single best all-purpose feed — it draws the widest range of visitors of anything you can offer, from cardinals and chickadees to titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches, and goldfinches. Buying in bulk keeps a feeder reliably stocked, which matters most from October through April when natural food is scarcest.

Ground feeders

Doves, towhees, and juncos prefer to feed on the ground rather than at a hanging feeder. Scattering sunflower seed or millet in an open area near cover (a brush pile works well) gives them somewhere to retreat when a predator passes.

Thistle for finches

Goldfinches and pine siskins favor nyjer (thistle) seed in a tube-style feeder with multiple small perches. It's pricier than sunflower seed, but a full feeder can draw a dozen or more goldfinches at once.

Suet and peanuts

Suet is a high-fat, high-energy food that woodpeckers in particular rely on, especially in cold weather — but it draws a crowd year-round. Unsalted peanuts in a wire-mesh feeder are similarly popular with woodpeckers, titmice, and nuthatches.

Don't forget water

A reliable water source matters as much as food, especially once temperatures drop — many birds struggle more from lack of water than lack of food in icy weather. A small thermostatically-controlled heater keeps a birdbath ice-free all winter, and a drip attachment in warmer months adds motion that draws even more attention.

Feeder placement

Spacing matters: larger, more aggressive birds like Blue Jays will dominate a single feeder and keep smaller birds away. A few feeders spread across the yard, ideally with a large multi-side hopper feeder on a squirrel-baffled pole, lets more species feed at once without as much competition.

Quick reference — what draws what

Black-oil sunflower seedCardinals, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches, finches

Nyjer / thistleGoldfinches, pine siskins

SuetWoodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees

Peanuts (unsalted)Woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, jays

Cracked corn / milletDoves, juncos, sparrows, towhees (ground feeders)

Fresh fruitWaxwings, orioles, mockingbirds

Sugar waterHummingbirds, orioles

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What's the single best food to offer backyard birds?

Black-oil sunflower seed — it draws the widest range of visitors of anything you can offer, from cardinals and chickadees to titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches, and goldfinches.

How do I feed ground-feeding birds like doves and juncos?

Scatter sunflower seed or millet in an open area near cover, such as a brush pile — that gives ground feeders somewhere to retreat to when a predator passes.

How do I attract goldfinches specifically?

Goldfinches and pine siskins favor nyjer (thistle) seed in a tube-style feeder with multiple small perches — it's pricier than sunflower seed, but a full feeder can draw a dozen or more at once.

Is water as important as food for backyard birds?

Yes, especially once temperatures drop — many birds struggle more from lack of water than lack of food in icy weather. A thermostatically-controlled heater keeps a birdbath ice-free all winter.

How do I stop larger birds from dominating the feeder?

Spread a few feeders across the yard rather than relying on one — a large multi-side hopper feeder on a squirrel-baffled pole lets more species feed at once without as much competition from aggressive birds like Blue Jays.

Watch backyard birds live

Pat's Back Yard Bird CamA live Oklahoma City backyard bird cam — see feeder activity in real time.