Chickadees are familiar and curious visitors to backyard feeders, easily recognized by their distinctive calls and bold foraging behavior. This small, energetic bird is a scatter-hoarder, instinctively grabbing a single seed and flying away to hide it for later consumption. Providing the right food is important, especially during winter, as they require high-calorie fuel to maintain their body temperature. Knowing which seeds are most desirable helps ensure your feeder provides a reliable source of energy for these charming garden residents.
Top Seed Choices for Chickadees
The undisputed favorite among chickadees is the Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS). This seed provides an optimal balance of accessibility and nutrition because its shell is thin, requiring minimal effort for the bird to crack open. BOSS is packed with fat, offering more calories per seed compared to the thicker-shelled striped sunflower variety, making it a highly efficient energy source.
Another high-fat option chickadees readily accept is suet, particularly during the coldest parts of the year. Suet is rendered animal fat that offers concentrated, easily digestible energy when insects, their natural diet, are scarce. Chickadees also enjoy unsalted peanut pieces, which are rich in protein and fat, but these should be offered as small kernels rather than large, whole peanuts.
Nyjer seed, often mistakenly called thistle seed, is a common offering, though it is not a primary choice for chickadees. While high in oil content, the tiny seeds are typically preferred by finches. Chickadees usually only feed on Nyjer when preferred sunflower seeds or suet are unavailable. When they do eat Nyjer, they use their feet to hold the seed against a perch while shelling the contents.
Optimizing Seed Presentation
To maximize attraction and minimize waste, the method of seed presentation is important. Chickadees exhibit a “grab-and-go” feeding style, meaning they are comfortable using various feeder types that allow for quick access. Small tube feeders, hopper feeders, or open platform feeders all work well for these acrobatic birds, who often hang upside down to retrieve a meal.
Using shelled sunflower seeds, also known as sunflower hearts or chips, can prevent the mess of discarded hulls beneath the feeder. Although shelled kernels are more expensive and can spoil quickly if they get wet, they appeal to chickadees because they eliminate the energy expenditure of cracking the shell.
Whichever seed type you choose, placing the feeder near natural cover, such as dense shrubs or tree branches, will make chickadees feel more secure. A distance of about 10 to 12 feet from cover is often ideal. This distance allows for a quick escape route from potential predators while preventing ambush.
Seeds to Limit or Avoid
Many commercial bird seed mixes contain inexpensive filler grains that chickadees largely ignore. These seeds are poor nutritional choices and are typically discarded on the ground.
- Cracked corn
- Milo (sorghum)
- Wheat
- Red millet
These uneaten fillers can germinate into weeds or become moldy, which can harm birds and attract rodents.
The presence of low-value seeds suggests a lower-quality mix. Purchasing pure Black Oil Sunflower Seed or specialized blends is a more effective use of resources. Safflower seed, while eaten by chickadees, has a harder shell than BOSS, requiring more time and energy to process. Focusing on high-fat, thin-shelled options provides the highest caloric return for the chickadee’s foraging effort.