Putting out a bird feeder for wild birds can be fun to watch the visitors you get. It also promotes better health for birds who don’t have to stress about food availability. However, you might have noticed the mess it creates on the ground with plenty of seed being wasted. So, why do birds throw seeds out of feeders? Are they doing it accidentally?
You might be surprised to find out that they are doing it on purpose most of the time. Read on to learn more about why and how you might prevent it, since it can make quite the mess in a nicely manicured lawn.
Why do birds throw seed out of feeders? 6 reasons
Birds are clever animals that know what they like to eat when feeding. Let’s find out the 6 main reasons why they throw seed out of the feeder.
1. Birds remove poor quality seeds from feeders
Bird seeds that we purchase to put in bird feeders are harvested by a machine. This means that there is a mix of quality. Some seeds are mature, some aren’t quite ready for eating, and others have nothing in them for the bird to feed.
Birds are able to figure out the difference between seeds with meaty centers. So, before opening them, they test the seeds and discard any low-quality or empty seeds.
2. Birds throw seeds they don’t like out of feeders
Some of the cheaper bird seed packages contain seeds that birds don’t enjoy eating. For example, most birds don’t like wheat, red milo, or cracked corn seeds. If you want a birdseed mix with popular seeds that won’t be tossed out, try something with mostly black oil sunflower seeds or proso millet. Peanut feeders are another popular choice.
The size of the seeds can also influence what type of seeds birds will reject. For example, tree-feeder birds typically prefer larger pieces and aren’t interested in smaller seeds.
3. Birds are throwing the seed hulls
Generally, birds don’t eat the entire seed. Instead, they feast on the kernel, which is the meat of the seed and will discard the hull, which is the fibrous outer covering. For this reason, you might find that what they toss out of the bird feeder are the two halves of the hull they aren’t eating.
Birds such as finches and sparrows can chew on seeds by moving their jaws up, down, and sideways in a circle. This allows their tongue and bill to split the seeds, eat only the kernel, and let the hull fall from their mouth.