The Best Bird Food to Serve Up This Winter

Cold temperatures aren’t for all––while some birds migrate south, other species are permanent residents and embrace the cold temperatures and long winter nights. Some folks may look from their windows to gaze at the cardinals, finches and wrens during December and wonder, “How on Earth are those birds keeping warm?” According to Wild Birds Unlimited franchisees Carol Harsh and Kevin Pillow, it’s all in the food.

Winter bird feeding

Harsh and Pillow are just a couple of Wild Birds Unlimited’s franchisees that are passionate about educating their customers––specifically about the best bird food to put out during those chilly winter months. To find the backyard bird feeding experts in your community, visit **

While humans wrap themselves up in layers upon layers to protect against freezing temperatures, birds pack on the weight with high-fat foods. In order for birds to survive the winter season, it’s vital they get the necessary nutrition. As Mother Nature transitions from fall to winter, it’s time to replace a bird feeder’s proteins with fats galore.

“During the spring and summer months, birds are nesting and working hard to raise their families,” said Harsh. “That activity requires a higher-protein intake because the birds are developing eggs and feeding their babies. When winter rolls around that’s when birds need to bump up the fatty foods.”

Nuts are a great source of fats for birds––pecans, peanuts and tree nuts are ingredients found in Wild Birds Unlimited’s Winter SuperBlend™. Along with nuts, safflower is a key ingredient in the Winter SuperBlend––specifically NutraSaff. This key ingredient “has a 30% higher fat content than[MC1] traditional safflower.” According to Pillow, safflower was originally intended for humans, but when bird feeding aficionados realized it had a high fat and oil content, they began incorporating it into bird food.

“Only a few retailers offer NutraSaff and Wild Birds Unlimited is one of them,” said Pillow. “NutraSaff is like a mini energy bar for birds.”

Nutrition and products

Along with Wild Birds Unlimited’s Winter SuperBlend, the SuperSuet™ blend will help birds pack on the weight and keep warm. The SuperSuet products are designed to meet the nutritional needs of birds and provide them with the highest level of protein and fat.

“Our SuperSuet products contain ingredients such as roasted peanuts and tree nuts like almonds, pecans and walnuts,” said Harsh. “We add mealworms to our SuperSuet blends for extra protein and include calcium to support egg laying and bone development. In winter, SuperSuet aids birds in building daily fat reserves which helps them get through the long, cold nights. According to Harsh, most people don’t realize that the biggest winter survival challenge for birds is having to endure a long winter night.

“Depending on the location, songbirds must sustain themselves through 13-15 hours of darkness by utilizing only their fat reserves for fuel,” said Harsh. Birds may use 75-80% of their body fat in one winter night, which is equivalent to 10% of their body weight being shed and replaced every day as they consume, store and utilize their body fat.”

Harsh applauds Wild Birds Unlimited for making education a part of the customer experience as soon as visitors walk into a store. Rather than pointing a customer in the direction of a product they may be looking for, Harsh takes the time to explain why Wild Birds Unlimited’s products are the best of the best on the market.

“Our customers are great about asking questions about the importance of switching foods between seasons,” said Harsh. “I always tell customers how vital it is to switch from high-proteins to high-fats when it starts getting colder. It’s fun to be able to introduce them to new products.”

Pillow also enjoys sharing his bird expertise with every customer that comes in his store.

“Wild Birds Unlimited’s customers are in-tune with the store’s values and they trust that our products are going to be the very best,” said Pillow. “We are excited about bringing in our seasonally-developed winter blends. We’ve been having meetings with our staff to ensure they know the key points and bird-benefits to discuss with customers.”

It’s up to those with bird feeders to provide the necessary nutrients that birds need to survive the cold months. This winter, make it your duty to help the birds stay warm and toasty by leaving out a high-fat feast.