Wild Birds
And Gardens
5339 Sunrise Blvd.
Fair Oaks, Ca 95628
(916) 966-5958
Bringing Life to Your Garden
Bird Seed Information
Below
is a list of available seed and seed mixes we carry at Wild Birds and
Gardens, with
click-able images, (for close-ups), and a note indicating if the seeds will germinate or
not.
Some of the seeds, such as millet, or black-oil sunflower seed still possess their
outer hulls (or shells), and will usually sprout fairly readily in decent soil. On the
other hand, some seeds, such as nyjer/thistle or sunflower chips are not able to grow.
Either the seed itself has been de-germinated, as is the case with nyjer/thistle, or the
hulls have simply been removed, as with sunflower chips.
This
page you are currently viewing gives a fairly detailed description of each seed and seed
mix/blend. If you would like this information in a simple, printable page, please visit
our Guideline
of Bird Feeding Preferences.
Sunflower Chips
Sunflower Chips are one of our best sellers. Chips are actually the small, black-oil
sunflower seeds, which have been taken out of the shell. This means there is no chance for
germination, and there is very little mess, because the birds eat every bit of it! As with
the small black-oil sunflower, almost all perching birds like the
chips. Chickadees, flickers, goldfinches, house finches, nuthatches, pine siskins,
red-winged blackbirds, titmice, and woodpeckers are all fond of sunflower
chips. Some of the ground feeders, including house, white-crowned, and golden crowned
sparrows, and juncos also appreciate them. And of course squirrels will
never turn chips away either.
[ Sunflower Chips will not sprout. ]
Small Black-Oil Sunflower
Small black-oil is a favorite among most birds. It has a very high fat content, and is
very easy shell to crack open, even for smaller birds. The only down-side to the small
black-oil seed, is it's determination to sprout. If this is an issue, please consider sunflower chips.
If you have an open style feeder, such as a platform, or hopper feeder, and normally
throughout the year you use
Birder's Choice mix
vs. grocery store seed
If you've ever brought home "wild bird seed" from a grocery store, only to find
that your perching birds really aren't thriving on the seed, but the ground feeders are
having a field day below your feeder, you've come across the main reason the grocery store
brands generally aren't as good as the Premium mixes.
Usually, the grocery store brands contain a large amount of millet, and a small percent of
black-oil sunflower seed. They use the millet as a filler, mainly because it's
inexpensive. But, unfortunately most of the small, song birds in our area, that will perch
on the common, tube-style feeders don't particularly care for the millet, and will sift
through it, in search of the more palatable black-oil sunflower seed.
In the best case, this millet will be eaten by some ground-feeders, such as doves, turkey,
sparrows, etc, or in the worst case, will easily germinate into a hard to destroy
grass-like weed underneath your feeder.
Unless you are trying to feed these ground-feeders exclusively, you
might have more luck with Birder's Choice mix which u contains larger amounts of, black-oil
sunflower seeds (or chips), which again, is a favorite for almost all perching birds.
sunflower chips, you might want to consider small black-oil during the winter months,
as the shell helps to protect the seed during the rainy season.
Most of same perching birds that readily eat sunflower chips will also eat the small
black-oil seeds. These include: Chickadees, goldfinches, grosbeak, house finches,
nuthatches, pine siskins, red-winged blackbirds, and titmice. And almost all
ground feeders including ducks, geese, house/white/golden crowned sparrow, juncos,
towhees, and of course squirrels will take to small black-oil sunflower seeds.
[Small black-oil sunflower may sprout.]
Songbird Select Mix
The songbird select mix is a relatively new mix, which is 1 part black-oil
sunflower seed, 1 part sunflower chips (which is simply black-oil
sunflower seeds taken out of the shell), and 1 part safflower seed.
This all encompassing mix will attract most perching birds, including chickadees,
flickers, goldfinches, grosbeak, house finches, scrub jays, nuthatches, pine siskin,
red-winged blackbirds, titmice, and even woodpeckers, (who like the sunflower
chips). The songbird select mix will also attract a number of ground feeders such as ducks,
geese, house sparrows, white and golden crown sparrows, juncos, towhees, and squirrels.
(Though the squirrels usually will not eat safflower).
[some seeds in the Songbird mix may sprout.]
No Waste Mix
The no waste mix is a wonderful non-sprouting, blend containing sunflower chips,
peanut pieces, and hulled, white proso millet. There is something in this mix for
basically all wild birds. The sunflower chips will attract most all
perching birds. The shelled peanut pieces will draw chickadees, flickers, scrub jays,
nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers,, and squirrels. ( note that the peanut pieces
are in smaller pieces then the shelled peanuts by
themselves). And the millet will feed all ground-feeding birds.
Since the no waste mix is such an all-encompassing blend, it would go great in either a
hopper feeder, or a platform feeder, because, as previously stated, this seed has
attraction for both perching birds, and ground feeders.
[No Waste Mix will not sprout.]
Birder's Choice
Mix contains small black-oil sunflower, white proso millet, medium sunflower chips, peanut
dices, and red proso millet. This is a great mix, as it attracts a very large amount of
both perching birds, including chickadees, flicker goldfinches, house finches, scrub
jays, nuthatches, pine siskin, red-winged blackbirds, titmice, and woodpeckers,
and also most ground feeders including ducks, geese, all sparrows, juncos, mourning
doves, towhees, pheasant, and turkeys. Again, this is a great seed, with the
only drawback being that it does contain seed which may spout. If you are concerned with
this issue, you might want to try our No Waste, which is basically the same as
Birder's Choice Mix, only all seed has been de-hulled, so no germination is possible.
[some seeds in the mix may sprout.]
Nyjer (thistle)
While squirrels and ground feeders usually will not even bother with nyjer, and only a few
of the perching birds, (pine siskin, house finches), will eat it, the main consumer
of nyjer is the goldfinch.
Goldfinches love nyjer (niger) seed, often (mistakenly) called thistle seed. It
actually is not a thistle. Nyger (Guizotia abyssinica) is native to Africa and is
also grown in India, Ethiopia and Burma. Where it is grown, it is used mainly as cooking
oil. The oil is produced from crushing the seed much like canola or safflower oil.
The nyjer seed that is sent to the U.S. for bird seed has been sterilized. The seed is
baked at a specific temperature for a specific time period so it will no longer germinate,
but it will still be healthful for the birds. Nyjer seed is not a thistle and will not
grow in lawns.
[Nyjer will not sprout.]
Garden Mix
The garden mix is a combination of sunflower chips
(hulled black-oil sunflower), hulled millet, and
safflower seed. Garden Mix will attract almost all song birds
including chickadees, flickers, goldfinches, house finches, pine siskins,
red-winged blackbirds, and woodpeckers. Also most ground feeders
including house sparrows, white and golden crown sparrows, and juncos
like the hulled millet. Nuthatches and titmice particularly
like the safflower seed
Garden mix is well-suited for both hopper feeders and tube feeders.
[the Garden mix is virtually non-sprouting, though
occasionally a safflower seed may germinate.]
Safflower
Safflower is an interesting, specific-need seed. While only a small, yet extremely common
handful of birds (house finches, nuthatches, titmice, and mourning doves),
enjoy it, most rodents, (including squirrels) do not!
Interestingly, it has been reported that safflower seems to be much more popular to
East coast birds then to birds here in our area.
[Safflower may sprout.]
Millet
Just like cracked corn, White Proso Millet is a favorite, yet
economical seed among most ground-feeders such as ducks, geese, house sparrows, white
crown sparrows, golden crown sparrows, juncos, mourning doves, towhees, pheasant, and turkeys.
While one disadvantage is its ability to germinate, a strong point is that squirrels
generally don't care for it.
[millet may sprout.]
Cracked Corn
Cracked corn is equal to millet in that the only perching bird who
will eat it, is the red-winged blackbird, and that almost all groundfeeders adore
it. Ducks, geese, house sparrows, white crowned sparrows, golden crowned sparrows,
juncos, mourning doves, towhees, pheasant, turkeys, and squirrels will all take
to cracked corn, usually instantly. The main advantage cracked corn has over millet, is
that it has been taken out of its husk/shell, and cracked into smaller pieces, so it can't
germinate!
[cracked corn will not sprout.]
Dove/Quail Mix
The Dove/Quail mix is a combination of white millet, milo, safflower, and cracked corn. This mix
will attract Red-winged blackbirds, as well as most ground feeders, including: ducks,
geese, house sparrows, golden and white crown sparrows, juncos, mourning doves, towhees,
pheasant, and turkeys.
[some seeds in the dove/quail mix may sprout.]
Stripe Sunflower Seed
This large type of sunflower seed has a fairly high oil content that can attract larger
birds. The harder shell is easy for the birds to break open by placing the seed between
their feet or in the crevice of a tree and hammering with their beaks. Striped sunflower
will attract grosbeak, magpies, scrub jays, and squirrels.
[Striped Sunflower may sprout.]
Shelled Peanuts
Shelled Peanuts will attract titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and squirrels.
A few advantages the shelled peanuts have over In-shell peanuts are that there are no
peanut shells to deal with after the birds/squirrels have feasted, and there is no way for
an out-of-the-shell peanut to germinate if buried.
[shelled peanuts will not sprout.]
In-shell Peanuts
The raw, in-shell peanuts are a fairly specific food source, mainly catering to scrub
jays, squirrels and elephants
[in-shell peanuts may sprout.]
Squirrel and Jay Mix
Our Squirrel and Jay mix contains a variety of nuts, which may include
shelled peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, cashews. This is a somewhat larger seed, which will, in
general, attract somewhat larger guests. Scrub jays, grosbeaks, chickadees,
possibly titmice and nuthatches, flickers, woodpeckers, and of
course, squirrels.
[Squirrel and Jay mix will not sprout.]
Wild Birds and Gardens of Sacramento is providing the following
truthful information taken directly from the American Center for Disease control in an
effort to impart accurate information to our birding community, and to help alleviate the
panic promoted by the public news agencies.
Below
is a list of available seed and seed mixes we carry at Wild Birds and
Gardens, with
click-able images, (for close-ups), and a note indicating if the seeds will germinate or
not. 
