How to attract them to your feeder

 Dark-eyed Junco  House Finch  Northern Flicker  American Goldfinch  Pine Siskin  Mourning Dove  American Robin  House Sparrow  European Starling  Red-winged Blackbird  Black-capped Chickadee  Red-breasted Nuthatch  Downy Woodpecker  California Quail  Song Sparrow

 “Snowbirds”  Arrives early winter  Sparrow family  Prefers millet, weeds, grasses  Ground feeder  Pink bill, white belly

 Color is dependent on the amount of carotenoid pigments found in food sources  97% vegetarian  Will drink nectar  Attracted to water  Will return to same area to breed

 Prefer to eat ants  Love peanuts and seeds too  Tongue 2-3 times longer than bill  Tongue retracts into skull behind right eyeball

 Latest nester of birds – late June to July  Use thistle down in their nests  Completely molt feathers twice yearly  Prefer feeders above head height  Favorite food is niger (thistle)  Will readily accept and eat sunflower chips  Love purple coneflower seeds

 Most common winter finch at feeders  Natural foods are hemlocks, alders, birches and cedars  Irruptions occur every 3-4 years  Prefer niger, black oil sunflower seeds and chips

 One of few species that suck water up instead of trickling down  Male incubate eggs during heat of day  1 of 10 most abundant birds million in fall  Large crop allows large amounts of seed to be eaten

 Found throughout North America  Some robins stay north throughout the winter  Robins migrate in flocks  Attracted to open lawns and gardens with mature shrubs and trees  Eat insects and berries  They LOVE water

 Introduced from England in 1851  Are now on all continents except Antarctica  Prefer to feed on the ground  Adapt anywhere there are humans  One of three unprotected birds

 Introduced from Europe in 1891  Negatively impacted bluebirds, woodpeckers and Purple Martins  Mimic other birds calls  Return to same nest cavity year after year  Eat insects, fruit and seeds  Not a protected bird

 Will increase feeding rate to match others  Will fiercely defend territory  Most polygamous of all birds  Typically raise one brood per year  Partial migrator  Do not like safflower seed

 Found in more wooded areas  Primarily insect eater during breeding, ½ insects - ½ seeds rest of time  Generally monogamous, mating for life  Cavity nesters  Will visit feeders, but 75-80% of foods from natural sources

 One toe faces backward to allow downward climbing  Aggressive defender of nesting cavity  Likes sunflower and will hide it in tree bark  Earliest species to begin migrating in summer/fall  Also eat suet

 Eat at least 44 different types of insects  Air bubbles in skulls act as shock absorbers  Use stiff tail feathers to prop against trees  Very long retractable tongue  Eats peanuts, sunflowers, and suet in winter

 Prefer mixed seeds of millet and cracked corn  Can fly but prefer to walk  Broods combine to form large coveys  Ground nesters mostly  Roost in spruce trees if available

 Most common and widespread sparrow  Adult males perform 6-20 different songs  They sing throughout the year  Prefer to feed on the ground  Will visit feeders, especially like millet  Rarely feeds in flocks

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