12/24/2025
What's best to feed your backyard birds in cold weather? For most wild birds, seeds are the best source of high energy. And the seed that attracts the widest variety of birds, (so the mainstay for most backyard bird feeders), is the sunflower seed.
It's easy to DIY your own winter bird seed mix using these bird-friendly favorites, and is more efficient than store-bought mixes. In general, mixtures that contain red millet, oats, and other “fillers” are not attractive to most birds and can lead to a lot of waste as the birds sort through the mix.
See our longer list of winter foods that birds know and love at Almanac.com/best-winter-bird-foods
