General 10 feeder birds to attract this winter By Jackie Davis Published: January 28, 2021 Updated: March 26, 2024 share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Copy Link Cancel View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by Brian Lasenby/Shutterstock American goldfinch Sure, these birds have lost their sexy, bright yellow breeding colours, but winter is still a great time to spot them. Left to their own devices, American goldfinches eat natural seeds. Try sunflower seeds or nyjer to attract them to your feeder. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by Paul Roedding/Shutterstock Black-capped chickadee These bold little birds are prone to landing on your hand. Humans mean food! They go for suet, safflower seeds, and peanut butter. Heck, who doesn’t? View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by FotoRequest/Shutterstock Blue jay Jays have good memories; they’ll stash food in natural hiding spots in the fall in preparation for winter, then return to the caches when need be. Still, they’ll benefit from feeder peanuts, corn, seed mixes, and sugar water. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by C. Hamilton/Shutterstock Dark-eyed junco Who wins the Handsomeness Award? This guy! (Dark-eyed juncos really do have dreamy dark eyes.) They’re very common feeder birds; to attract them, try millet, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and nyjer. Then take lots of pictures of them. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by Gerald A. DeBoer/Shutterstock Downy woodpecker The littlest of our woodpeckers, downies will eat everything from bugs to sap to poison ivy. But you can’t put that stuff in your birdfeeder, so try suet, seed mixes, or fruits. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by FotoRequest/Shutterstock Evening grosbeak Thanks to their powerful—and kind of huge—beaks, these birds can crack through almost any wild seed or fruit pit. But at the winter feeder, they go crazy for sunflower seeds. Greedy grosbeaks. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by K Quinn Ferris/Shutterstock Hairy woodpecker The downy’s larger, slightly shaggier cousin has a strong enough bill to drill into the toughest of bark and get at tasty, tasty insects. But hairy woodpeckers will also chow down on the same kinds of feeder foods as their downy woodpecker cousins. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by Harold Stiver/Shutterstock Mourning dove These sadly-singing birds—it’s “mourning” dove, not “morning” dove—eat thistle, knotweed, spurge, ragweed, and other plants that sound, frankly, disgusting. (Maybe that’s why mourning doves are so unhappy.) At your birdfeeder, they’ll consume sunflower and safflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by M. Leonard Photography/Shutterstock Red-breasted nuthatch Red-breasted nuthatch These colourful little birds are prone to grabbing seeds then flapping away to eat them somewhere else. They also love peanut butter, and jelly. That is, separately. Not together in a sandwich. View in Fullscreen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Photo by Jim Nelson/Shutterstock White-breasted nuthatch For a nuthatch, these birds are large, and about 15 cm longer than a black-capped chickadee. If you put out peanuts, make sure they’re hulled. Unlike some other birds, they may turn up their noses—er, beaks—at having to go through the shell. View in Fullscreen Related galleries 8 giant roadside landmarks to spot across Canada Meet 7 early risers of the wildlife world Perched on the Bay of Fundy, these curious, colourful cottages might be Nova Scotia’s best-kept secret 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10 feeder birds to attract this winter Time to bust out your feeders and food, and watch your winter-hardy avian pals, bird enthusiasts! We asked Chris Earley, the author of Feed the Birds, for his Winter Top Ten List. In alphabetical order, click on the gallery for the birds! Read more about some of these birds: American goldfinch Black-capped chickadee Blue jay Hairy woodpecker Dark-eyed junco Evening grosbeak Mourning dove Related Story Is there bird poop in icicles?