The Best Type Of Bird Seed For Attracting More Cardinals To Your Yard

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There are few birdwatching experiences more iconic than the sight of a northern cardinal, especially in the wintertime with their red plumage a cheery blaze of color against the snow. Common throughout most of the southeastern United States and ranging up through much of the Midwest and Northeast, cardinals are frequent visitors at bird feeders. In addition to the beauty of their feathers — the male in red and the female in a très-chic combination of gray and red accents — cardinals are desirable backyard visitors for their tendency to eat caterpillars and other potential garden pests.

If you add black oil sunflower seeds or safflower seeds to your bird feeder, chances are that the cardinals will follow soon after; you can actually buy sunflower-and-safflower seed blends specially formulated for cardinals, like this Audubon Park cardinal blend. If you have a green thumb, you can even learn how to grow your own black oil sunflower seeds. Just keep in mind that for cardinals, "easily hulled" is one of the prime draws of any seed. They'll also eat grass seeds and cracked corn, and have a tendency to be less particular about seed selection in leaner times of the year.

Sunflower and safflower seeds are favorites of cardinals, because they can use their large beaks to easily break open these larger seeds. However, this is not the only thing you can do to attract more of these red birds. During the winter, cardinals might appreciate suet — a cake of rendered animal fat — at their feeders for a boost of crucial protein. If you're not too squeamish about bugs, you can also offer dried (or live!) mealworms. Fruit and berries are a welcome addition, as well. You might even plant a bush or tree to really make your yard a hotspot for these crimson visitors. In particular, mulberry trees and birds like cardinals go together like peanut butter and jelly!

As far as what type of feeder to buy goes, cardinals are pretty flexible. They'll visit tube feeders just as readily as house-shaped feeders. They might be especially comfortable at a feeder with a platform due to their ground foraging tendencies. Because they're slightly larger-than-average songbirds, they prefer a stable perch and plenty of room to maneuver. If you're hoping to host a cardinal nest in your yard, make sure to have plenty of available real estate! Do a bit of research to find examples of bush or shrub plants that will grow well in your region.