Welcoming a variety of birds to your backyard can be a delightful and rewarding experience. Providing the best bird food not only attracts a diverse range of feathered friends but also ensures they receive the necessary nutrition to thrive. Whether you’re a seasoned bird watcher or a beginner looking to add some avian charm to your outdoor space, knowing what foods to offer is essential. In this guide, we’ll share information about fourteen local bird species and explore the best bird food to give them, from seeds and nuts to fruits and mealworms, helping you create a bird-friendly haven that keeps them coming back for more.
Baltimore Oriole
Males are totally orange on their breasts, underbodies, and rump with some orange tail feathers, a dark hood on their entire head, and black backs with white stripes on their wings. Females’ coloring is a much more muted yellowish orange. Baltimore Orioles are migratory birds so look for them in the spring and summer.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit, Dark Colored Berries, Oranges, Jelly | Oriole Nectar | Oriole Feeder |
Bluebird
Eastern Bluebirds have a blue back with rusty reddish-orange bellies. Males are bright while female’s coloring appears much duller. They are very common in backyards, though not so much at feeders. Appear year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Mealworms, Suet Nuggets | Suet (Broken Up In Chunks), Lyric Fine Tunes | Ground Scatter |
Blue Jay
Blue Jays have a large blue crest on top of their heads with mostly blue feathers on top and white feathers on bottom, and a black ring around their necks that looks like a necklace. Their wings are barred white, blue, and black. Appear year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Mealworms, Suet Nuggets | Suet (Broken Up In Chunks), Lyric Fine Tunes | Ground Scatter |
Cardinal
Northern Cardinals are among the most recognizable and common backyard birds in North America. Males have bright red feathers and black masks, and females have duller colors and are pale brown with some reddish coloring. Both are easily recognized by their “mohawks” and reddish orange beaks. Visit year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Safflower, White Millet, Cracked Corn, Peanut Pieces, Other Nuts | Delco Cardinal, Delco Premium Wild Bird, Delco Patio Mix, Valley Splendor Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Lyric Delite | Hopper, Tube Feeder, Platform/Tray Feeder, Ground Scatter |
Chickadee
Chickadees are tiny little birds that are easy to recognize because of their “black cap” and black bib. Their cheeks are solid white, wings and backs are gray, and underbodies are fluffy and light. They are very common at bird feeders and are often seen darting back and forth from a feeder to cover and back again for more. A year-round visitor to Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed Seed Blends, Black Sunflower Seeds | DeLco Premium Wild Bird Food, DeLco Patio Mix, DeLco No Waste Mix, Valley Splendor Premium Blend, Lyric Fine Tunes | Hopper Feeder, Platform/Tray Feeder, Tube Feeder |
Goldfinch
During spring and summer, American Goldfinches are mostly bright yellow with black-tipped wings. Males will also have a black cap. In the winter they will molt and lose these flashy colors and be more dull, brownish, or olive-colored. Appears year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Nyjer Seed, Thistle Seeds, White Millet, Black Oil Sunflower Chips | Delco Nyjer Seed, Delco Premium Wild Bird, Delco Patio Mix, Valley Splendor Finch | Thistle Feeder |
Hummingbird
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are emerald-green on their backs, wings, and heads with white underparts. Males have a bright ruby-red throat. Females lack the red throat feathers. Hummers migrate, usually arrive in Illinois in mid-April, and leave by October.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Flower Nectar From Salvias, Columbines, Begonias, Roses And Cardinal Flower, Hummingbird Nectar, Tiny Bugs And Spiders | Hummingbird Nectar | Hummingbird Feeder |
Junco
Dark-Eyed Juncos have blackish gray heads and are overall a dark slate gray on top, but a lighter grayish white on their bottom half, and a light pink beak. Females and immatures can appear more of a buffy brown color. They are most common in forests and wooded areas where they can often be seen hopping around on the ground. Found in Illinois only during the winter months.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| White Millet, Black Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Cracked Corn, Peanut Pieces, Nyjer Seed | Valley Splendor Finch Mix, Delco No Waste Mix, Lyric Delite | Ground Scatter |
Mourning Dove
Doves are very common in backyards and will often sit perched on
telephone wires or in groups in trees. You can see them walking around on the ground. Mourning Doves are mostly gray with black spots on top and a pale peachy color below. A year-round visitor in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked Corn, Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Safflower Seed | Delco Patio Mix, Delco No Waste, Delco Squirrel Treat, Lyric Cracked Corn | Ground Scatter, Ground Platform/ Tray Feeder |
Nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatches have a thick black stripe on top of their
heads, with white on either side and on their bellies. Their wings are
mostly gray and black. They are great at hopping up and down trees
vertically, and often hang upside down at feeders. Visit year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Peanuts, Suet | Valley Splendor Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Lyric Peanut Pieces, Suet, Lyric Fine Tunes | Suet Feeder, Sunflower/Peanut Cage Feeder, Tube Feeder, Platform/ Tray Feeder |
Robin
American Robins are bright red, round bellies, and yellow beaks. While they will occasionally visit bird feeders, they are mostly seen hopping around the grass looking for worms and other invertebrates to eat. They do really like bird baths. Seen year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Earthworms, Mealworms, Grubs, Insects, Berries, Small Fruit, Suet Pieces | Mealworms, Suet | None, Ground Scatter |
Sparrow
There are two kinds of sparrows in Illinois – House Sparrow and Song
Sparrow. Both are mostly brown in color, with some black and brown
streaking on their wings and buffy chests. Appear year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Seeds, Millet, And Seed Mixes | Delco Premium Wild Bird, Valley Splendor Black Oil Sunflower, Valley Splendor Premium Blend | Hopper Feeder, Platform/Tray Feeder, Tube Feeder, Ground Scatter |
Titmouse
Tufted Titmice are silver-gray on top and lighter on bottom, with a black patch just above their beaks. Like Cardinals, they have a small crest (the “mohawk”) that helps you tell them apart from other birds. Year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Black Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Peanut Pieces, Nyjer Seed, Suet | Delco No Waste Mix, Delco Cardinal Mix, Suet, Lyric Delite | Hopper Feeder, Platform/Tray Feeder, Tube Feeder, Suet Feeder |
Woodpecker
There are a few varieties of woodpeckers in Illinois, the common ones are: Northern Flickers, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers. Visit year-round in Illinois.
| Favorite Foods | Food We Recommend | Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Suet, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts, And Peanut Pieces | Delco Woodpecker Blend, Woodpecker Treat Cake, Woodpecker Suet, Lyric Woodpecker Blend, Lyric Delite | Suet Feeder With Tail Prop, Sunflower/Peanut Cage Feeder |
Creating a bird-friendly backyard by offering the best bird foods can transform your outdoor space into a lively sanctuary filled with colorful and melodious visitors. By providing a variety of the best bird food such as seeds, nuts, fruits, and mealworms, you’ll not only attract a diverse range of birds but also support their health and well-being. Remember to keep feeders clean and provide fresh water to ensure a safe and inviting environment. With the information above about what the best bird food is for each species, you’ll enjoy the beauty and joy that birds bring, fostering a deeper connection with nature right in your own backyard.
For more information on bird food, feeders, and baths please see one of our specialists at Lurvey Home & Garden. Our experts are happy to share their experiences with birds in their own yards and suggest the best option for your outdoor space and birding goals.
You can also find more information from local societies like The Chicago Bird Alliance and The Illinois Audubon Society. They both offer a wide variety of resources, programs, and events to assist you in learning about birding and how you can participate in nurturing and protecting your feathered friends.
