I saw a post this week on a Neighborhood site that said Black Oil Sunflower seed was the best buy because all birds can eat it.
Not true,
Sunflower for birdseed comes three ways: whole, hearts and chips. The whole, black-oil sunflower seeds are ideal for cardinals because cardinals have beaks equipped to break the hulls and then eat the hearts. Doves swallow the seeds whole and their craw helps them digest the seeds. Bluebirds, however, cannot break apart the hulls and they have no craw, so the only way they can enjoy these oil-rich seeds is in hearts or pieces. Sunflower hearts come whole while the chips come in smaller pieces. I believe the sunflower chips are easier to eat for all the birds. They just swallow them down.
Winter is a tough time for insect- and berry-eating birds, like bluebirds, mockingbirds, and others. By keeping a feeder stocked with sunflower chips, you’ll attract these birds and more.
Also, if you really want to attract birds, get a Birdbath De-icer and put out a bowl full of water. Birds can do without food for a few days, but they need water every day, and it is often unavailable.
A final note.
Some folks shop for birdseed by the pound. They pick out the largest bag for the least amount of money. They see a 10-pound bag and it only costs $4.99 so they buy it.
But!
The cheaper assortments of birdseed all have fillers, most specifically milo, which most birds don’t eat. So, you are really paying much more per pound if you are trying to entice bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, and other seed-eating songbirds. The best value of all birdseed is sunflower chips. Though they seemingly cost more per pound than other seeds, there is zero waste and sunflower chips attracts all seed-eating birds.
Buy sunflower hearts or chips and problem solved.
