Can birds eat sunflower seeds?

Many wild birds, including mourning doves, feed on sunflower seeds, safflower seed and thistle seeds. Mixes, such as millet, also attract many different kinds of birds. Leave fruit out for migrating wild birds. read more

Birds can eat and will enjoy many human foods, but exercise caution. There are some toxic or potentially problematic foods to avoid, including avocados, chocolate, alcohol, iceberg lettuce, caffeine, carbonated beverages, seeds from fruit (depending on the fruit, some may be impossible for birds to properly digest or can cause choking), and more. read more

The black oil seeds (“oilers”) have very thin shells, easy for virtually all seed-eating birds to crack open, and the kernels within have a high fat content, extremely valuable for most winter birds. Striped sunflower seeds have a thicker shell, much harder for House Sparrows and blackbirds to crack open. read more