The Ultimate Guide To Cardinal Bird Seeds
Cardinals are some of the most captivating bird fouls in your backyard. This medium-sized bird is famous for the red plumage of males and the colorful songs that the birds produce. However, if you want to encourage cardinals to visit your yard and at the same time ensure that they are healthy, then you need to consider their feeding habits. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss Cardinal Bird Seed, the best foods to serve them, and how to feed those beautiful birds.
What Bird Seed is best for Cardinals?
Seeds, nuts, and fruits form the staple diet of Cardinals. While choosing bird seeds, ensure they are quickly consumed and are rich in nutrients. Here are the best seed options for the Cardinals:
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
Black oil sunflower seeds are the best-liked seeds among numerous birds, including cardinals. These are relatively small with a fragile covering and are packed with nutritionally dense oils. Cardinals usually eat them because their beaks are strong enough to open the shells.
- Why cardinals love them: They are suitable for fat, which is essential for energy purposes.
- Where to use them: Approved to be used in tray feeders or hopper feeders, black oil sunflower seeds are a good recommendation.
Striped Sunflower Seeds
Striped sunflower seeds are bigger and have thicker shells than black oil sunflower seeds. Not all birds can chew these seeds, but cardinals possess the robust, pointy beak that cracks them.
Benefits: They come with plenty of nutrients and are just a tad cheaper than the black oil sunflower seeds.
Note: These seeds, such as sparrows, might take more undesirable birds out of your compound.
Safflower Seeds
It is noteworthy that cardinals adore safflower seeds. These white seeds are bitter, and common naughty animals like squirrels shy off from feeding on the seeds. Nevertheless, cardinals prefer their food to pack the two essential ingredients of taste and smell: rich, nutty flavor.
Best for feeders: Safflower seeds are well suited for tray or platform feeders where the cardinals are comfortable to feed.
Cracked Corn
Cardinals should be fed with cracked corn, which is ideal for this bird. It is easy to consume them, and the carbohydrate level gives instant value in terms of energy.
Do Cardinals Like Hulled Sunflower Seeds?
Indeed, cardinals do like hulled sunflower seeds. Therefore, these seeds do not have shells and may be easy for people to take. One of the best types of seeds, perfect if you want to clear your territory from the leftover crumbs, is hulled sunflower seeds, also called sunflower hearts and kernels.
Advantages Associated With Hulled Sunflower Seeds
- Mess-free: No more shells to continue the cleaning process.
- High-energy: Loaded with good fat and protein.
- Perfect for winter: Cardinals require more food in the cold season, and hulled seeds are an easy energy source.
Do Cardinals Eat Peanuts in the Shell?
Of course, cardinals can eat whole peanuts in shells, but they may discover it challenging to open the shell compared to shelled or crushed peanuts. Normal cardinals are reported to have strong, conical beaks, yet they feed on foods that are easily accessible.
If you wish to use whole peanuts, crack open the shells slightly. It simplifies the process for the cardinals to get to the nut inside of it.
It’s true that peanuts are rich in protein, fat, and energy and may help cardinals during the cold months or else during the nesting period when such social birds require high-energy food.
Are Raw Peanuts Safe for Birds?
Raw peanuts are not poisonous to cardinals and other birds as long as they are fresh and not mold-contaminated. Raw peanuts contain proteins and fats that are important to the diet and nutrients of cardinals in their diet. However, there are a few precautions to take:
Tips for Feeding Raw Peanuts
- Avoid salted or flavored peanuts: Salt is poisonous to birds, and the condiments in the shelled peanuts may contain poisonous spices or chemicals.
- Check for mold: Infected peanuts can contain dangerous toxins that are fatal to birds even when fed moldy peanuts. Peanuts should always be checked before putting in a feeder.
- Serve in moderation: Usually, peanuts are healthful, but these sorts of nuts contain calories nonetheless. However, excessive use may disadvantage the cardinals because it results in an unbalanced diet.
Should I Crush Peanuts for Birds?
Crushing peanuts is a good idea for feeding cardinals and other small bird species. It is easy to handle and eat by those cardinals who prefer small-sized foods because the peanuts have been crushed.
Benefits of Crushing Peanuts
- More straightforward to eat: Although whole peanuts could be too large or complex for the birds to manage or even split, crushed pieces could be just right.
- Attract more birds: It also provides a feeding station for birds that cannot eat whole peanuts; crushed peanuts can attract small birds and be entertaining.
- Prevent waste: If whole peanuts are too large, then parts of them may drop from the birds' beaks, which would amount to area wastage.
How to Crush Peanuts
- Put peanuts in a plastic bag or between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Beat them into smaller pieces with the help of a rolling pin or hammer.
- Do not grind it to a fine powder; the birds take big pieces of the substance.
Are Almonds Good for the Cardinals?
Indeed, when introduced to the cardinals appropriately, almonds can be healthy and nutritious snacks for the birds. Almonds have many nutrients, including fats, protein, and vitamins, that can benefit birds’ diets. However, almonds must be served correctly to save the cardinals.
Guidelines for Feeding Almonds
- Use unsalted, raw almonds: Though unsalted almonds could be a good, non-toxic food for the birds, salted or roasted almonds are toxic because of salt and oils.
- Crush or chop almonds: Whole almonds might be a size that the cardinals can hardly eat. Cropping them into smaller particles makes it easier for seagulls to pick them and catch their fancy.
- Offer in moderation: Although almonds are very healthy, they contain calories. A little fills a lot when added to a cardinal’s meal.
It is good to give almonds as treats to cardinals, but they should rely not on them but on their regular diet, which is seeds and peanuts.
Can Cardinals Eat Rice?
Yes, cardinals can eat rice, but this type of diet is not common with them or is not very healthy for them. Cardinals can eat both cooked white rice and raw rice. However, they do not have the vigor and nutrition of seeds, nuts, or fruits.
What is the Best Food to Feed Cardinals?
The diet that would suit cardinals includes seeds, nuts, and fruits. Here’s a breakdown of their ideal diet:
Safflower Seeds
Safflower seed is the most favorite of all the seeds mentioned. They are tiny white seeds of high oil content and nutrients that offer energy and believe it strengthens their health. The most valuable quality of safflower seed is that squirrels do not like its taste, which is very pleasant. This means that your cardinal feeders can feed your birds without attracting all sorts of other birds that you do not want to visit.
Peanuts
Cardinals also like peanuts, which are rich in nutrients. They are easy to prepare, and it is recommended to be consumed with shells, crushed shells, or other seeds. This food source supplies cardinals with protein that aids in developing muscles necessary for the bird’s various movements in different seasons.
Fruits
Fruits are also part of the Cardinals' diet. Apples, berries, grapes, and other fruits are also great to be eaten occasionally. Such fruits contain natural sugars and vitamins, which are essential for energy intake to Cardinal while at the same time improving the diversity of foods they consume. When serving fruits, arrange them in small, easily mouthed pieces that these birds can quickly grasp.
Bottom Line
When you include these foods in your bird feeders, they will help attract the cardinals and, at the same time, feed these beautiful birds with foods that will make them grow strong. To attract cardinals to your backyard yearly, provide them with safflower seeds, black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruits, mealworms, and cracked corn.
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Thanks for the great info