A favorite seed of cardinals, chickadees, grosbeaks, jays, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers.
The 5lb bags are packaged in a consumer friendly clear poly bag, light enough for easy carrying.
Contains: 100% Striped Sunflower seed
The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a showy and inquisitive bird often found at the edge of mixed forests, woodlands and residential areas if they are well treed Both males and females are similar in plumage and size, measuring approximately 25-30 cm long with a wingspan of 40 cm and a body mass of 70-100 g. The Blue Jay has a long, graduated tail and a head crests. Markings include various shades of blue on the back with wings and tail marked with black bars and a black necklace and eye-line. The belly is light grey to white. Juveniles are similar to adults with the exception of the blue areas that are slightly greyer and the black areas are slightly browner. The Blue Jay is unmistakable in appearance and is unlikely to be confused with and other species with the exception of the Stellar’s Jay which is similar in size but is dark blue-grey on its belly and lacks white on its wings and tail.
The Jay is an omnivore therefore it eats nuts, seeds, soft fruit and berries as well as insects and small vertebrates. Blue Jays are quick to take human food such as nuts, bread and dog food. Generally, Jays will be seen picking food from the ground, trees and shrubs or platform bird feeders. Additionally, these birds will catch insects from the air.
Reference: Tarvin, Keith A. and Glen E. Woolfenden. 1999. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/469
doi:10.2173/bna.469
Photo Credit: © 2008 Nick Saunders. Photos may not be used without written permission from Nick Saunders. All Rights Reserved. www.saskbirder.com
The cardinal is a beautiful, well-loved bird that is a blessing to have visit your feeder. These birds are 20-25 cm long with a wingspan of 30 cm and a body mass of 42-48 g. The male is a bright red while the female is primarily grayish, brown. Both sexes have a black facemask and a prominent crest and orange bill.
These birds can be spotted in shrubby woodland edges and in some cases forest interiors and urban districts throughout eastern and central North America from southern Canada into Mexico and Central America. In recent years these birds have been spotted further north due in part to the provision of bird feeders changing habitat and increasingly moderate temperatures.
Cardinals are primarily vegetarian feeding on nuts, seeds and fruit. They can be found foraging the ground for wild seeds but since they are opportunistic feeders they will readily feed from bird feeders with appropriate bird food.
Reference: Halkin, Sylvia L. and Susan U. Linville. 1999. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/440
doi:10.2173/bna.440
Although there are numerous Chickadees, the Black-capped Chickadee is the most common throughout North America and therefore the focus of this article. These cute, curious and tame birds are 12 to 15 cm long with a wingspan of 20 cm and a body mass of 10-14 g. Both males and females are similar in appearance with a solid black cap and bib, white cheeks, gray back, tan flanks and dark gray wings and tail.
These birds are common to woodlands, parks or any place with sufficient foliage to support adequate food and shelter. They can be found from coast to coast of most of Canada and the northern two thirds of the United States.
Chickadees eat both animals and plants, which they glean from bark, twigs and feeders. They can often be seen clinging to a tree or a feeder to get their food but will rarely be seen foraging on the ground. Interestingly, these birds rarely eat their food where they acquired it but rather carry it off to eat it elsewhere. Since these birds are so tame, they can frequently be spotted on backyard feeders or may even feed from an outstretched hand if you have enough patience.
Reference: Smith, Susan M. 1993. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/039
doi:10.2173/bna.39
Photo Credit: © 2008 Nick Saunders. Photos may not be used without written permission from Nick Saunders. All Rights Reserved. www.saskbirder.com
The most common Grosbeak in North America is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, therefore the focus of this article. These birds are 18-21.5 cm long with a wingspan of approximately 31 cm and a body mass of 39-49 g. Males have the telltale black head with red triangle on the breast and white under parts while the female is more subdued with a brown-black upper body and tail with a speckled brown and white belly. Females exhibit a distinctive pale crown-stripe and white wing-bars.
These birds can be found in deciduous and mixed forests and near shrubby streams, ponds, marshes, roads or pastures. They can also commonly be seen in well-vegetated urban areas, parks, gardens and orchards. These birds migrate from Canada and northern U.S. to Mexico during the winter.
Grosbeaks birds eat both vegetable matter (specifically fruit and oil-rich seeds) and insects. Feeding will occur by gleaning from trees and flowers and occasionally by ground foraging. These birds will also feed from bird feeders when available.
Reference: Wyatt, Valerie E. and Charles M. Francis. 2002. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/692
doi:10.2173/bna.692
Photo Credit: © 2008 Nick Saunders. Photos may not be used without written permission from Nick Saunders. All Rights Reserved. www.saskbirder.com
The White-breasted Nuthatch and the Red-bellied Nuthatch (Canadian Nuthatch) are both common birds to Canada and northern United States. Both birds are small measuring between 11-14 cm long with a wingspan of 21-28 cm and a body weight of 10-21 g. In both species males and females are similar in appearance with the female being slightly paler in colour. The white-breasted Nuthatch is characterized by a dark crown, white face and breast, bluish gray back and wing that have white edging. Under the tail and on the sides the plumage is rusty coloured. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is similar to the White-breasted Nuthatch but has a characteristic red belly and a black stripe extending from the base of the bill through the eye to the neck. Both species have the characteristic long bill, upturned.
Nuthatches are common resident of deciduous forests and woodlands in North America. They generally live in pairs in permanent territories throughout the year.
These birds are omnivorous eating both insects and plant matter with a preference for high oil-content nuts. Nuthatches characteristically walk head downward on large branches and trunks, probing crevices in bark for its seed and insect prey. It also uses such crevices to hold fast large seeds and nuts, which this bird then ‘hacks’ open with its bill. The name “nuthatch” is presumably derived from this behavior. These birds regularly visit feeders during fall and winter, a time of year when pairs hoard food in large amounts, dispersing it throughout their territory and using each site to cache only one item. These birds prefer to feed from nut feeders stocked with high quality nuts and fruit.
Reference: Grubb, Jr., T. C. and V. V. Pravosudov. 2008. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/054
doi:10.2173/bna.54
Photo Credit: © 2008 Nick Saunders. Photos may not be used without written permission from Nick Saunders. All Rights Reserved. www.saskbirder.com
Titmice are cheerful birds with a number of species. They are a small bird measuring approximately 15 cm in length and having a wingspan of 24 cm and a body weight of 10.5-21 g. All titmice have a crest and are primarily grey. In general, the upper parts are dark gray, while the belly is lighter gray to white.
These birds are regular inhabitants of forests in central to southern United States. They also populate orchards, parks and suburban areas.
Dependant upon the species, titmice will feed either exclusively on insects or on a combination of insects and seeds, nuts and fruit. Titmice hoard food in fall and winter and can be seen caching sunflower seeds taken from a feeder: the birds stored the seeds within 40 m of the feeder and took only one seed per trip. This makes this bird an interesting guest for any backyard feeder.
Reference: Grubb, Jr, T. C. and V. V. Pravasudov. 1994. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/086
doi:10.2173/bna.86
Although there are numerous woodpecker species, the focus of this article is the Downy Woodpecker. This is the smallest woodpecker with a length of 14.5–17.0 cm, a wingspan of 30 cm and a body weight of 21-28 g. Like the majority of woodpeckers the Downy Woodpecker is black-and-white-checked. They have largely black upperparts with white stripes on the head above and below the black ear-coverts, white spots on wing-feathers and white along the center of back. The tail is black down the centre, becoming white laterally and with white areas barred black. The under parts are unmarked and vary geographically from white in most areas to grayish white in the Pacific Northwest. Sexes are alike, but male has a red patch on the nape of the neck.
The Downy Woodpecker is one of the most widespread of North American woodpeckers and is a year-round resident coast to coast; from the tree line in Canada and Alaska to southern Florida and the meager riparian forests of southern California. It is generally present in open, deciduous, woodlands throughout its range. It is also often seen in orchards and wooded, human-modified habitats such as urban and suburban parks and residential areas. It will venture into open areas where it sometimes nests in cavities in fence posts and feeds on arthropods found in tall weeds in vacant lots and fencerows.
The diet of this bird consists of insects, fruit, seeds and some plant tissue. It is particularly fond of mullein stalks where it can probe for insects. Since it is a relatively tame bird, it will feed at feeders specifically designed to hold nuts.
Reference: Jackson, Jerome A. and Henri R. Ouellet. 2002. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/613
doi:10.2173/bna.613
Photo Credit: © 2008 Nick Saunders. Photos may not be used without written permission from Nick Saunders. All Rights Reserved. www.saskbirder.com