Bird Feeding

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Photograph of a red-headed woodpecker at a bird feeder
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Watching birds at feeders can increase your bird-ID skills and brighten your day. You can feed birds year-round or just in winter when natural foods are tougher to find. Birds flock to backyard feeders especially when snow or ice covers their natural foods and temperatures fall to extreme lows.

Learn what seeds, feeders, and landscaping choices will attract which birds to your Missouri backyard.

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Food Preferences

Some birds, such as tufted titmice and chickadees, are finicky eaters, whereas mourning doves and white-throated sparrows will eat about any type of seed. Many people start with black-oil sunflower seeds and add other seeds to draw in more species.

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Sunflower Seed and Millet

Black, oil-type sunflower seed and white millet rate best for attracting birds. You can buy these separately or find them in wild bird seed mixes. If buying seed mixes, note that many mixes contain milo and corn, which many backyard birds do not eat.

Safflower Seeds

Not all birds love safflower seed, but tufted titmice and cardinals are among the species that do.

If starlings are a problem at your feeders, you can try putting out safflower seeds since starlings generally do not eat them.

Peanuts

You can feed peanuts either shelled or in the shell. Shelled peanuts will attract woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, titmice, chickadees, and blue jays. There are specialized feeders designed for shelled peanuts.

Peanuts in the shell can be placed in a feeder or on the ground. Blue jays are especially fond of unshelled peanuts and will often stash them or bury them to eat later. Squirrels are also fond of peanuts, so keep that in mind when choosing where to place peanuts.

Learn more about bird seed from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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Suet

Suet for birds is generally sold as a block of hardened beef fat with seeds, nuts, or dried fruits mixed in. The blocks fit into specially designed wire cages that can hang from a limb or post. Suet is a high-energy food that attracts many insect-eating birds. It can provide calories to help keep birds warm in winter or meet the high-energy demands of egg-laying during the breeding season.

Woodpeckers, chickadees, tufted titmice, and nuthatches are especially fond of suet. Other species that may visit suet feeders include Carolina wrens, ruby-crowned kinglets, and bluebirds.

You can buy blocks of suet at the store or make it yourself. Recipes for suet can be found on many birdwatching websites.

Suet often becomes rancid in warm weather and it can sometimes get melty and rub off on birds’ feathers, so offering suet in the summer is not recommended. Peanut butter is a good substitute for suet in the summer. Mix one part peanut butter with five parts corn meal and stuff the mixture into holes drilled in a hanging log or into the crevices of a large pinecone. This all-season mixture — as well as suet — attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and, occasionally, warblers.

Mealworms

Mealworms can be a great way to attract insect-eating birds that might not otherwise visit your feeders. These include bluebirds and some warbler species.

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Fruit

Orioles and catbirds, and sometimes red-bellied woodpeckers, will come to feeders for oranges and berries. Especially during migration, fruits can provide extra energy to the birds’ regular diet, but serve them cautiously. Oranges can become fermented in warm weather, so it’s important to check them regularly and make sure they aren’t beginning to spoil. You can buy feeders for orioles that are designed to hold half an orange or orange slices.

Nectar

Hummingbirds feed on nectar in flowers and small insects attracted to native plants. You can draw them to your yard by planting native flowers or by putting up a special feeder filled with sugar water.

Learn more about how to attract hummingbirds.

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Feeding Stations

Bird-feeding stations may be as simple as seeds placed on the ground or as complicated as a feeder accessible only to birds of certain weights to keep squirrels away. A plain wooden platform can be erected as a simple feeding station. Some edging around the outside will help keep the seed from falling to the ground. You may like to add a roof and three walls to keep the rain off, or you may prefer the open platform for easy bird access and for the additional brightness for picture taking. A good way to offer sunflower seeds to birds is with a commercially available, clear-plastic cylinder or silo-type feeder.

Different birds have different feeding habits. Some songbirds, such as the dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow, and Harris’s sparrow, prefer to feed directly on the ground. Cardinals and blue jays will feed either on the ground or on a platform feeder. Goldfinches and chickadees also will visit small, plastic feeders that are fixed to the outside of a window by a suction cup.

Where to put your feeders

Remember to locate your feeding station outside a room where you can relax and enjoy the visitors.

Hang feeders in places where birds can see approaching predators and fly to safety. Hawks and house cats are both known to hunt at backyard feeders.

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American Goldfinch on a Birdfeeder
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American goldfinches eating sunflower seeds

Noppadol Paothong

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Be careful of placing feeders near windows where vegetation or sky is reflected. If you hear or see birds hit your window, treat the outside of the window immediately with opaque stickers so the birds know the window is not a pass-through or escape route. Window strikes are the second-largest contributor to wild bird mortality. They are very common — act quickly if you see evidence of strikes. Treating windows is an easy fix! Learn more about how to prevent window strikes from the American Bird Conservancy.

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Year-Round Feeding

Many people enjoy feeding songbirds year-round. In fact, the most crucial times in the life of many birds are in the early spring when naturally occurring seeds are scarcer and also during inclement weather in winter. In the spring and summer, many young birds follow their parents to the feeder. It is fascinating to watch the parents show their young how to crack open the seeds.

Some birds, such as the Baltimore oriole and the ruby-throated hummingbird, are only found in Missouri in the summer for breeding season and leave in the fall for the winter. Orioles may be attracted to the feeding stations with fruit. Hummingbirds come to special feeders filled with sugar water mimicking nectar.

Bird-Feeding Myths

You may have heard that it's important to continue feeding once you start it. However, no research indicates that during normal weather birds will starve if feeding is stopped for a time. Birds often visit many feeding stations in a neighborhood. You will be amazed at how fast birds discover new feeding stations. Their natural curiosity and mobility ensure their success at making the rounds.

Another myth is that feeding birds will prevent them from migrating. Birds know when to begin migration based on other triggers, like changes in day length.

Keeping Feeders Clean

Wash feeders regularly to prevent the spread of diseases between birds.

Hummingbird feeders should be washed every week or two to keep mold and bacteria from building up. During hot, humid summer weeks, wash feeders every 2–3 days — and replace the sugar water just as frequently. It is especially important to check the small openings through which the hummingbirds drink to make sure there is no black mold.

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Other Tips

Provide Water

To increase the popularity of your feeding station, provide water — especially during drought or when the temperature stays below freezing for several days. Carolina wrens and bluebirds may be enticed to feeding stations during the winter, too, if water is available.

Add a bird bath to your yard. Replace the water every day or two to keep the water fresh and clean. Birds often leave feces or feathers in the water, which can grow bacteria that can spread to other birds. Wash the bird bath every week or two with a weak vinegar-water solution (nine parts water to one part vinegar). To keep water from freezing in winter, you can get a heater to place in the bird bath or find affordable heated bird baths.

Landscape with Native Plants

In addition to selecting the right seed for your bird-feeding stations, you can attract more birds to your yard with native plants that provide cover and additional seeds and insects. Quite often in new housing developments, trees and shrubs for nesting, perching, and escaping predators are in short supply. Birds need places to perch overnight and vantage points from which they can view the feeder and also watch for potential predators. Evergreens offer valuable, year-round cover from the weather in addition to secluded nesting sites.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11
Registration period: September 15 - October 4
Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 8:00 am - Wednesday, October 4, 2023 10:00 am
Location: Runge Conservation Nature Center
Join MDC naturalists and area birders as we discover the avian life that calls Runge home. These short birding walks are for all experience levels. We will gather near the front doors of the nature center. Binoculars and field guides will be provided for those who need them. Registration preferred. Ages 8+
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023 2:00 pm - Saturday, October 14, 2023 4:00 pm
Location: Cape Girardeau Nature Center
WHO…. WHOO…. WHOO is ready for Trek ‘N’ Treat? Help us celebrate the spookiest time of year with a not-so-spooky event perfect for all ages. This year will be owl-erific, featuring a variety of Missouri’s nocturnal feathered fliers. Show up wearing your costume, and take a stroll down our short Trek-n-Treat trail. As you progress along the trail, learn about these impressive birds at stations explaining the owl-erific facts that make these birds unique. Bring your treat bucket! After you “trek” to each station, you may find some treats fall into your treat bucket. Remember to keep an eye out for our creature-characters along the trail. They love to hand out treats and are excited to see “who” will come visit them. Afterwards, visit the inside of the nature center for owl-themed games, activities, and crafts. The World Bird Sanctuary will be here for you to see these amazing birds in a meet and greet fashion. We will release specific details regarding these programs closer to the program date. We hope to see you there!
Registration period: September 7 - October 20
Date: Friday, October 20, 2023 3:00 pm - Friday, October 20, 2023 4:00 pm
Location: Online only
What’s that critter flying high in the sky? Or skirting between the forest understory? Birds of course! Join us virtually in learning all about the birds that call Missouri home, and the birds that just pass through. Registration required. All ages invited, however, material covered is geared for adults. Be sure to include your email address in your registration. Presenter will email the program link to participants both the day before and day of the program.
Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023 1:00 pm - Saturday, October 21, 2023 3:00 pm
Location: Springfield Conservation Nature Center
Fall brings the annual migration of waterfowl to our area lakes from their breeding grounds in the north. Some will stay with us all winter and others will rest and continue on their way farther south. After an indoor program we will walk to the lake and look for waterfowl. Ages 10 and up.
Registration period: October 1 - October 24
Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2023 8:00 am - Tuesday, October 24, 2023 10:00 am
Location: Runge Conservation Nature Center
Join MDC naturalists and area birders as we discover the avian life that calls Runge home. These short birding walks are for all experience levels. We will gather near the front doors of the nature center. Binoculars and field guides will be provided for those who need them. Registration preferred. Ages 8+
Registration period: September 23 - October 26
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023 6:00 pm - Thursday, October 26, 2023 7:00 pm
Location: Twin Pines Conservation Education Center
Myths and superstitions abound concerning Halloween and its traditional seasonal icon, the owl. See Barred, Great Horned and Screech owls from the Dickerson Park Zoo and lay those myths and superstitions to rest. The 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM programs are for schools and the 6:00 PM program is for the public. This program is for all age groups and reservations are required. Register on-line at www.mdc.mo.gov/twinpines. For further information, call 573-325-1381.
Registration period: September 7 - October 26
Date: Friday, October 27, 2023 5:00 pm - Friday, October 27, 2023 6:30 pm
Location: St. Louis Regional Office/Busch Memorial CA
Come learn all about some of Missouri’s most mysterious winged predators- owls! These nocturnal birds are often heard but can be hard to spot in the darkness of night. We will explore the different owls found in Missouri and what makes them so interesting. After, dissect an owl pellet to learn more about what an owl eats. Please register each participant separately. All children attending must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration period: September 21 - November 7
Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 3:30 pm - Tuesday, November 7, 2023 4:15 pm
Location: Online only
Winter is a great time for birdwatching. In this virtual program Naturalist Sam Grove will discuss several common winter bird species, how to attract them, and how to participate in a special data-collecting study called Project Feeder Watch. The program will end with a live Q&A session with the naturalist. This program will not be recorded. Please include a valid email address when you register so we can send you a virtual program link.
Registration period: September 15 - November 25
Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023 2:00 pm - Saturday, November 25, 2023 4:00 pm
Location: Cape Girardeau Nature Center
Join us for an enlightening program on winter birds and birdfeeders. Discover the various visitors you’re likely to encounter during the cold months and learn about the specific feeders and seeds that attract each species. Equip yourself with knowledge to create a bird-friendly environment in your backyard this winter. Whether you’re a seasoned bird watcher or a curious beginner, this session promises valuable insights for all. The program will begin with a presentation in the auditorium and then move to a roughly 1-mile hike over paved and gravel trails which are at times hilly. You are welcome to attend the auditorium portion only and then view birds from our feeder window or explore our forests on your own if you wish.
Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023 2:00 pm - Saturday, November 25, 2023 3:00 pm
Location: Runge Conservation Nature Center

Each year, millions of birds migrate to and from their breeding and wintering grounds and have been doing so for tens of thousands of years. This not only includes the great raptor migration where these high-soaring birds make it all the way to South America, but also enormous numbers of Passerines who call the forests of Mexico and Central America their home, some for up to eight months. In Central America, Honduras likely harbors some of the largest concentrations of migrant Passerines that arrive from across the North American continent.

Join us to hear from Robert Gallardo, creator of “Guide to the Birds of Honduras” and newly published “Guide to the Butterflies of Honduras” Saturday, Nov. 25 at the Runge Conservation Nature Center. During this informative and visual presentation, we will take a look at the Honduran landscapes, see how important it is to conserve the wintering grounds for Nearctic-Neotropical migrants, and make the connection to the breeding birds in Missouri. No registration required. All ages.

This program is sponsored by the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.

Registration period: September 15 - December 11
Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 12:00 pm - Wednesday, December 13, 2023 1:00 pm
Location: Online only

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. Woodpeckers are some of Missouri’s most beloved bird species. Their characteristic tap-tap-tapping as they hunt for food has made them one of the most easily recognizable winter birds. Learn about these wonderful woodpeckers, their amazing adaptations, and how to identify Missouri’s seven native species in this virtual program.

Please ensure that your MDC account includes an accurate email address so that you can receive a link to the virtual program.