Wild Bird Feeding Institute
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Create a Backyard Sanctuary 

Here are resources to help you turn your backyard into
​a sanctuary for your birds. 
Above all, we want you to have a good experience feeding wild birds!

NEED INSTRUCTIONS TO GET STARTED?
​HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Do you want to know what bird feed and feeder combination will bring the most wild bird visitors to your yard? Download our free instructions to setting up your wild bird feeding station in your yard, and then get started!
DOWNLOAD FREE INSTRUCTIONS
Blue Jay eating a peanut from a peanut pick-outs wild bird feeder
Nuthatch eating seed out of a human hand

WBFI CARES ABOUT HELPING YOU HELP YOUR BACKYARD BIRDS

How many times do we see or hear news stories concerning birds and issues that affect them like conjunctivitis, cat predation, or window strikes? While we cannot control all the forces impacting the wild birds visiting our feeders, we can be responsible custodians of our food and feeders and the feeding environment to make our yards as safe as possible.

You want to know how to take care of your bird feeding equipment and do what you can to protect wild birds visiting your feeding stations.

​See the resources below for some basic steps you can refer to so you can be a responsible backyard birder.

FOOD & FEEDER PREFERENCES

Just as you might not like all the different kinds of food available to us, so birds are much the same. The primary foods consumed by birds include:
  • Seeds found in wild bird feed (download the bird feed preference chart above)
  • Insects 
  • Nectar
The physical structure of a bird species is also important to the style of bird feeder a bird can use. Download the bird feeder preference chart to see what style of bird feeder your favorite birds can use. For example, only a couple of wild bird species can hang upside down to eat and therefore can use the feeder with the perch above the feeding port.
thumbnail of Project Wildbird bird food and feeder preferences of North America chart
Wild Bird feed and feeder preference chart

DOWNLOAD THE 6 STEPS

To help you be good stewards of the birds visiting your backyard, WBFI and the not-for-profit experts in backyard wild bird feeding compiled the information you need in the 6 Steps poster. WBFI is glad to make this important information available to you now.
You can help change the world and make it a better place for birds.
DOWNLOAD 8.5 x 11 Poster

Nyjer plants
bird preference chart

NYJER®... THE SECRET IS IN ITS OIL

Wild birds select a bird seed based on several criteria, and one of those criteria is the oil content of the bird seed. Unlike humans, birds consume food for energy first rather than for taste.

Nyjer® is one of the highest oil content seeds you can feature in your yard. It is grown in India and Ethiopia where it is a valuable oil crop like corn, safflower, or canola oils are in North America.

Check our Bird Preference Chart to see which wild bird prefer Nyjer®.

QUALITY STANDARDS ARE YOUR KEY

WBFI Quality Standards Logo
Since 2005, WBFI's members have subscribed to our voluntary industry quality standards program for bird feed and for bird feeders. What does this mean for you? It means that when you purchase a product that displays our Quality Standards logo, you can be assured that the product meets industry quality standards.

Our industry quality standards are based on the standards from the Association of American Feed Control Officials or AAFCO. Learn more about our standards here.

ORGANIC WILD BIRD FEED?

If you are interested in purchasing organic wild bird feed, you will need to search very carefully to identify a source. The vast majority of the wild bird feed sold in the US and Canada is not organic. 

If you identify a source that claims to be organic, be sure to verify that the product is certified before you buy it. There is a certification for organic producers in order to be able to use the claim "organic" on their product.
Picture
ADDRESS: 22640 Hazel Lane
                  Rapid City, SD, 57702

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Site Contents ©WBFI 2005 PROJECT WILDBIRD site contents copyright WBFI Research Foundation 2005 - Advanced Automation by Chamber Nation
  • Home
  • About Us
    • WBFI Board of Directors
    • WBFI Committees >
      • Event Planning
      • Marketing
      • Membership
      • Pulse of the Industry
      • Quality Standards
      • Regulatory
      • Research Foundation >
        • RF - Contributors
      • SIR Group
      • Task Force Groups >
        • Task Force: Advertising
        • Task Force: Next BIG Steps
        • Task Force: Nyjer® Quality
    • Our Partners
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Next BIG Steps Project
    • Quality Standards Program
    • Wild Bird Feed Product Basics
    • Backyard Sanctuary
    • 6-Steps
    • Nyjer®
    • Blog
    • Other
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events >
      • 2019 Annual Meeting >
        • 2019 Presentations
      • 2018 Annual Meeting >
        • 2018 Presentations
  • Join
  • Member Area
    • Membership Kit
    • Member Directory
    • Member Resources >
      • Annual Meeting
      • Webinars & Online Events
      • BIG Campaign >
        • Find-A-Retailer Widget
      • Market Research
      • Pulse of the Industry Reports
      • Research Manuscripts
      • Downloadable Logos
      • Quality Standards Program >
        • QSP - Participants
        • QSP- Enroll
        • QSP - Feeder Products
        • QSP - Seed Products >
          • Product Labeling
        • QSP - Other
    • WBFI Database
  • Feed The Birds