What to Feed Wild Birds (and What Not To)

Can I feed birds bread? You can, but the wildlife agencies we checked say you should not make a habit of it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that bread can quickly introduce harmful bacteria and mold, and that birds fill up on it and leave little room for the more nutritious foods they need. Seed, suet, unsalted peanuts, mealworms, and fresh fruit do the job bread cannot. Below we sort those foods by the birds they draw, list the kitchen foods to skip or limit, and show where the published sources disagree.

Everything here is about adult wild birds at backyard feeders in the United States. Each claim about what helps or harms birds comes from a federal or state wildlife agency, a university extension service, the National Audubon Society, or Project FeederWatch, and is linked where it first appears.

This guide covers food for wild birds at backyard feeders. It is not advice on caring for sick, injured, or baby birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a baby bird on the ground often does not need help, and that rehabilitating most wild birds requires permits. If a bird needs help, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or your state wildlife agency rather than trying to feed it yourself.

Can I Feed Birds Bread? What the Sources Say

Most sources come down against it, for three reasons. The first is spoilage. The Fish and Wildlife Service article on common pitfalls when helping wildlife says bread and sugar sponges can introduce bacteria and mold that cause respiratory issues and disease, sometimes resulting in death. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources guide Supplemental Feeding Wild Birds says bread and table scraps spoil quickly and grow bacteria and mold that can harm or even kill songbirds.

The second is nutrition. Maryland calls bread similar to “junk food” for birds that does not provide proper nutrition. The Fish and Wildlife Service adds that animals can develop metabolic bone disease without the right nutrients. An Audubon magazine article on when to feed birds says bread has little nutritional value and may cause a condition called “angel wing,” a problem the article raises for parks with resident waterfowl (more on that below).

The third is who it attracts. The Fish and Wildlife Service Bird Feeding fact sheet advises dropping bread items, along with sunflower, millet, and cracked corn, if grackles, starlings, cowbirds, or crows are taking over your feeders.

Not every source goes that far. A winter bird feeding article from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources says small pieces of fresh or stale white sandwich bread are readily eaten by nearly all feeder birds, but are not as nutritious as other foods and should be used sparingly. The same page says moldy bread should not be used. So should you feed birds bread? Our reading: a few crumbs are not an emergency, but bread is a poor use of feeder space, moldy bread is out by every account, and every food in the next section does more for the birds.

What to Feed Wild Birds: Foods by Bird Group

The table below is a quick answer to what can I feed birds that will actually come to a yard. The bird lists come from the sources named in each row; your region and season will change who shows up.

Seed: start with black oil sunflower

Project FeederWatch calls black oil sunflower the most common seed offered at feeders in North America, a high-energy seed with thin shells that makes it the preferred food of a wide variety of birds. Penn State Extension goes further: “If you are going to provide one seed, this is the one to choose.” If you want to go beyond one seed, three other seed types cover specific groups. FeederWatch says safflower attracts cardinals and other big-billed birds, though in its experience most birds prefer sunflower. Nyjer draws finches but needs a feeder with very small ports and is best fed by itself. Millet and cracked corn, scattered on the ground or a platform, serve juncos, sparrows, doves, and quail.

Peanuts: unsalted, plain, and fresh

Peanuts are one of the few kitchen staples that belong at a feeder, as long as they are plain. FeederWatch says you can offer raw or roasted peanuts but should avoid salted peanuts or any roasted with coatings or flavorings. The Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet is stricter: it calls roasted peanuts with no salt and no sugar the healthiest choice and says to avoid raw peanuts and peanut hearts. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service says peanuts can harbor aflatoxins, which it describes as extremely toxic to birds even at low levels, and that bacteria can grow on stale peanuts, so use them only when fresh or not at all. Where the sources split, we follow the stricter one: roasted, unsalted, fresh, and thrown out at the first sign of mold.

Suet: a cold-weather food

Suet is beef fat, and Penn State says it is highly sought after in winter by woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice. Every source we read treats warm weather as the problem. FeederWatch says suet may become rancid in hot weather if it has not been specially processed. Maryland DNR says raw suet can go rancid in the sun and should only be offered on cold winter days. The Fish and Wildlife Service says suet and peanut butter are best used in winter because both can melt and turn rancid in warm weather. For summer, the Audubon Guide to Bird Feeding points to “no melt” suet cakes made for warmer weather, and Penn State notes that processed cakes are made so they do not turn rancid. In practice: raw suet from the meat counter is a winter food; in summer, use a processed no-melt cake or take the suet feeder down.

Mealworms: protein for insect eaters

FeederWatch says mealworms are relished by chickadees, titmice, wrens, and nuthatches, and are one of the only foods that reliably attract bluebirds. Maryland DNR says bluebirds in particular can benefit from mealworms in winter and early spring. FeederWatch notes that some people offer live mealworms and others dried. Arkansas Extension notes that birds unfamiliar with dried mealworms may need a few moistened at first, and that dried mealworms should otherwise be kept dry and offered in small amounts.

Fruit and jelly: fresh, and in small amounts

FeederWatch says orange halves often attract orioles, and that grapes and raisins without preservatives are a favorite of mockingbirds, catbirds, bluebirds, robins, and waxwings. The Audubon guide suggests soaking raisins and currants in water overnight before putting them on a tray. Maryland DNR is more cautious about dried fruit: it says only fresh fruit should be offered because many dried fruits have added sugars that are harmful to birds. If you use dried fruit at all, read the label and skip anything sweetened or treated. FeederWatch and Maryland agree on mold: FeederWatch says some molds on fruit create toxins harmful to birds, and Maryland says to clean fruit feeders every few days.

Arkansas Extension lists jelly as a draw for orioles, catbirds, and some warblers, and says to offer it only in very small quantities because it is sticky and can sour in warm weather.

Kitchen Foods to Skip or Limit

Bread is the best-known example, but it is not the only kitchen food the sources flag. Here is what they say, item by item.

• Salty or sugary foods. Maryland DNR says salted or sugared foods can be dangerous for small birds. The Illinois DNR article says food salted or seasoned with spices should not be used, and to use only unsalted sunflower seeds and never salted peanuts. That rules out chips, pretzels, salted nuts, and sweet baked goods.
• Bacon grease and meat drippings. Arkansas Extension says bacon drippings attract birds and raccoons but contain meat preservatives that are unhealthy for birds. Utah State University Extension, in a homemade fat cake recipe, says to avoid salty items such as salted nuts or bacon. The Illinois article lists cooking grease as a suet-mix ingredient, so the sources are not unanimous; we side with the two that say skip it and use plain beef suet instead.
• Table scraps and leftovers. Maryland DNR advises against table scraps for birds or other wildlife. Arkansas Extension says leftovers attract starlings and House Sparrows as well as rats, mice, and raccoons.
• Anything moldy, wet, or stale. The Audubon guide says damp seed may grow mold that can be fatal to birds. The Illinois article says food that will spoil should be removed from the feeding area before it does.
• Salt in the bird bath. Not a food, but it comes from the kitchen. The Fish and Wildlife Service says salt should never be added to a bird bath to keep it from freezing, because salt can be toxic to birds.

Some kitchen items do help. FeederWatch says birds use grit such as ground eggshells to grind food in the gizzard, and that eggshells are a source of calcium birds need when laying eggs. It says to sterilize the shells first, either by boiling them for 10 minutes or heating them in a 250 °F oven for 20 minutes, then crush them to about the size of sunflower seeds and offer them in a dish or on a low platform. Plain fresh fruit, such as orange halves, apple chunks, and grapes, also comes up in the Maryland and Arkansas lists.

Ducks and Geese at the Pond

Most bread ends up at ponds, and that is where the sources are firmest. In an Audubon piece titled Don’t Feed the Waterfowl, Stephen Kress of the National Audubon Society says people should not feed waterbirds like geese or ducks; the piece also calls fresh bread and crackers a source of empty calories. An Audubon California post, Bad idea: feeding bread to ducks and other birds, describes ducks with “angel wing,” a condition that prevents flight, and says it may be caused by eating bread left by park visitors.

The Audubon magazine article cited above suggests cracked corn or oats in moderation instead of bread, and also notes that leftovers from overfeeding can contaminate water, spread disease, and attract rodents, and that local ordinances may not permit feeding at all. Our advice follows the stricter view: let pond birds find their own food, and check posted park rules before bringing anything.

Keep Food Dry, Fresh, and Mold-Free

Even the right food turns into the wrong food once it gets wet. The Audubon guide says to store seed in metal cans with secure lids in a cool, dry place, and not to keep seed from one winter to the next. Penn State says moldy or insect-infested seed should be dumped and replaced. The Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet says cracked corn is vulnerable to rot when wet, and Arkansas Extension says hulled sunflower can spoil quickly, so offer only what birds will eat in a day or two.

Simple Menus for Common Backyard Situations

These pairings are our way of applying the sources above to a few common setups. They are starting points, not guarantees of which birds will come.

• One feeder in a small yard: black oil sunflower in a tube or hopper. Penn State and FeederWatch both put it first.
• Apartment balcony: hulled sunflower, which Arkansas Extension suggests where shells are a problem, offered in amounts birds finish in a day or two.
• Juncos, sparrows, and doves feeding on the ground: a scoop of millet with cracked corn on a platform or the ground, as FeederWatch suggests, swept up before it gets wet.
• Woodpeckers in winter: plain beef suet or a suet cake in a cage.
• Summer: skip raw suet. Arkansas Extension adds that fruit feeding is unnecessary in spring and summer while native berries are available, and that fruit draws ants and wasps.
• Bluebirds: mealworms on a tray, especially in winter and early spring, per Maryland DNR.

Food is only half of the setup; feeder placement, water, and cover matter too.

How We Put This Guide Together

We read bird feeding pages from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maryland and Illinois Departments of Natural Resources, the University of Arkansas, Penn State, and Utah State extension services, the National Audubon Society and Audubon magazine, and Project FeederWatch, and kept only statements we could match to those pages. Where they disagree, as on bread in small amounts, raw peanuts, dried fruit, and cooking grease, we show both sides and follow the more cautious one. We left out foods none of these pages address rather than guess. Our general method is on the How We Review page.

Feeding Wild Birds FAQ

What can I feed birds from my kitchen?

Fewer things than most people expect. The sources above support plain fresh fruit such as orange halves, apple chunks, and grapes; unsalted, unflavored peanuts; and sterilized, crushed eggshells. They advise against bread, salty or sugary foods, bacon drippings, and general table scraps. Anything that has started to mold should go in the trash, not the feeder.

Can I feed birds cheese?

Only one source we checked addresses it. The Illinois DNR article says a slice or chunk of American cheese may be eaten by Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens, and American Robins. None of the other agencies or extension services list cheese, and Maryland DNR warns that salted foods can be dangerous for small birds. If you offer cheese at all, keep it to an occasional small piece and remove what is not eaten the same day.

Can I feed birds oats?

You can, but few birds will take them. FeederWatch says oats are eaten by many species, mainly doves and quail, and can go on a platform or in a hopper. The Audubon guide says relatively few species prefer oats, and Penn State lists hulled oats among the fillers birds sort out of cheap mixes. The Illinois DNR article also cautions that dry oats swell with moisture after they are eaten and can cause internal injuries. Given that split, oats are not worth a place at the feeder when sunflower and millet do more.

Is peanut butter okay for wild birds?

Mixed into something, in cool weather, yes. The Illinois DNR article says birds can have trouble swallowing pure peanut butter and that it is better used in suet mixtures. Arkansas Extension recommends offering it in winter, mixed with cornmeal or flour to cut the stickiness, and avoiding it in summer because the oil can reach eggs. The Audubon guide, by contrast, suggests one part peanut butter to five parts cornmeal as a summer stand-in for suet. We side with the cautious reading: unsalted peanut butter, mixed with cornmeal, mainly in the cold months.

Final Thoughts

Bread fills birds up without giving them much, spoils fast, and draws the birds most people would rather not feed. Swap it for black oil sunflower, add suet in winter, mealworms for bluebirds and wrens, and fresh fruit for orioles and robins, and keep everything dry and free of mold. Skip salty, sugary, and greasy kitchen foods entirely. For feeders, placement, and related guides, see our Bird Feeders section.

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