The National Bird-Feeding Society (NBFS) is an organization in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

whose mission is to make the hobby of

bird feeding Bird feeding is the activity of feeding wild birds, often by means of bird feeders. With a recorded history dating to the 6th century, the feeding of wild birds has been encouraged and celebrated in the United States and United Kingdom, with it b ...

better, both for people who feed wild birds and for the birds themselves. To fulfill its mission, the NBFS conducts research and promotes education on wild bird feeding Since its establishment in 1989, the NBFS has served as a resource for individuals to learn more about best bird feeding practices,Baicich, Paul J., Margaret A. Barker and Carrol L. Henderson. ''Feeding Wild Birds: A Short History in America'' (USA: Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc., 2010) Lukas, David. "For the Birds: Which Seeds are Best?" ''National Wildlife Magazine'' Oct./Nov. 2009: 14–15. Print. and to provide information on how to move the bird feeding hobby beyond the backyard.Freeman, Huey. "Every Move They Make." ''Herald & Review'' ecatur, IL10 November 2009. Print. The NBFS provides information on bird seed and bird feeder preferences, and a guide to better bird feeding.Richardson, Scott. "Feeding Time." ''Pantagraph'' loomington, IL31 January 2010. Print. Daily operations of the NBFS are performed by the staff of Wild Bird Centers of America in

Glen Echo, Maryland Glen Echo is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, that was chartered in 1904. The population was 255 at the 2010 census. History Glen Echo derives its name from the name of the lots developed by Edward, and Edwin Baltzley, * * * ...

, and supported by Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc.Baicich, Paul J. "Revitalizing the NBFS." ''Bird Watcher's Digest'' Nov./Dec. 2009: 11. Print.

Bird seed preferences

In 2008, a three-year, one million dollar study of bird seed and bird feeder preferences in the United States and Canada was completed."Millikin Becomes New Home of National Bird-Feeding Society." ''The Southern'' arbondale, IL31 January 2010. Print. The study, known as Project Wildbird, was coordinated by Dr. David Horn and Stacey Johansen at

Millikin University Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Media Decaturian The ''Decaturian'', also known as ...

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

, and funded by the Wild Bird Feeding Industry Research Foundation. Based on results of Project Wildbird, of ten seed types most commonly found in seed blends, five are most preferred: black-oil sunflower, nyjer, fine and medium sunflower chips, and white

proso millet ''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first domesticated abou ...

. Three major patterns of bird seed preferences were observed. First, smaller finches, such as

American goldfinch The American goldfinch (''Spinus tristis'') is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to ...

and

pine siskin The pine siskin (''Spinus pinus'') is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range. Taxonomy The pine siskin was formally described in 1810 by the American ornithologist Alexander ...

, prefer nyjer (also referred to as thistle) and sunflower hearts (also referred to as hulled sunflower and sunflower chips). Second, species that grab a seed from a bird feeder and eat it elsewhere such as

black-capped chickadee The black-capped chickadee (''Poecile atricapillus'') is a small, non-migratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a passerine bird in the tit family, the Paridae. It is the state bird of Massachusetts and ...

Carolina chickadee The Carolina chickadee (''Poecile carolinensis'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Taxonomy The Carolina chickadee is often placed in the genus ''Parus'' with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome ''b'' sequence data an ...

tufted titmouse The tufted titmouse (''Baeolophus bicolor'') is a small songbird from North America, a species in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae). The black-crested titmouse, found from central and southern Texas southward, was included as a subspecies, ...

, and

white-breasted nuthatch The white-breasted nuthatch (''Sitta carolinensis'') is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring approximately in length. Coloration varies somewhat along the species' range, but the are lig ...

; larger finches such as

house finch The house finch (''Haemorhous mexicanus'') is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and Hawaii. This species and the other two American rosef ...

and

purple finch The purple finch (''Haemorhous purpureus'') is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. Taxonomy This species and the other "American rosefinches" were formerly included with the rosefinches of Eurasia in the genus ''Carpodacus''; however, the ...

; and

northern cardinal The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis'') is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''; it is also known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal (which was its name prior to 1985). It can be found in southea ...

, prefer black-oil

sunflower seed The sunflower seed is the seed of the sunflower ('' Helianthus annuus''). There are three types of commonly used sunflower seeds: linoleic (most common), high oleic, and sunflower oil seeds. Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsat ...

. Finally, white proso millet is the preferred seed of ground-feeding birds such as chipping sparrow,

dark-eyed junco The dark-eyed junco (''Junco hyemalis'') is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. This bird is common across much of temperate North America and in summer ranges far into the Arctic. It is a very variable species, much ...

, and

mourning dove The mourning dove (''Zenaida macroura'') is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Caroli ...

. There are also bird seeds that are unattractive to birds. In particular, red milo is a seed few birds readily consume. Thus, bird seed blends with large amounts of red milo may go unused by wild birds and lead to a poor bird feeding experience.Freeman, Huey. "Turns Out, Birds Really are Picky Eaters." ''Herald & Review'' ecatur, IL10 November 2009. Print.

Bird feeder preferences

While there is a vast array of bird feeders, feeders are typically placed into three categories: tube, hopper, and platform.Bird Feeders
/ref> Tube feeders are long and slender and are typically constructed of plastic. Hopper feeders resemble small houses, and are made of a combination of metal, wood, and plastic. Platform feeders are large trays that are often covered and are typically made of wood or plastic. All three feeder types can dispense a variety of bird seed types; however, there are specialty feeders for distributing nyjer and sunflower hearts or whole peanuts (peanuts that are out of the shell and split in half). Generally, tube feeders attract small-bodied birds, and larger birds are unable to perch on tube feeders. Hopper and platform feeders attract birds of all sizes. Choosing a bird feeder is just as important as choosing the bird seed to offer. For those wanting to attract large numbers of small songbirds, a tube feeder is best. Hopper feeders attract a wide variety of species, and allow for large quantities of bird seed to be stored. Platform feeders attract the greatest number of bird species, but the bird seed is more prone to getting wet or blown off the feeder by the wind. For individuals who want to attract more species of birds to their feeders, specialty feeders are available. Specialty feeders are made for suet to attract woodpeckers, nectar to attract hummingbirds and orioles, fruits to attract robins, and insects to attract bluebirds.Other Bird Feeders
/ref> There are also feeders specifically designed to hold whole peanuts, sunflower hearts and nyjer.

History

The NBFS was formed in 1989 with the assistance of the Wild Bird Feeding Industry, the trade association for the bird feeding industry. In the early years of the society, the organization published newsletters, provided educational resources for instructors, and ran photo contests. For nearly 15 years, the NBFS mailed a bi-monthly newsletter, "The Bird’s-Eye reView", to its members. The newsletter featured tips, tales, and tactics used for attracting wild birds. The society also developed a "Kit for Kids", a collection of materials for teachers, and two booklets: "The Story of Bird Feeding", and "The Dynamics of Bird Feeding". In its early years, the Society also held photo contests with individuals submitting photos in categories such as birds at feeders and most unusual feeder visitor. Currently, the NBFS promotes education and conservation initiatives that raise awareness about bird feeding and the protection of wild birds both at one's home and beyond the backyard. The NBFS also sponsors

National Bird-Feeding Month February is National Bird-Feeding Month in the United States."Bosak, Chris. "A Change in Attitude Regarding Feeding Birds." ''The Hour'' orwalk, CT3 February 2010.Rugg, Jeff. "It's National Bird-Feeding Month." ''The Herald-Mail'' [Hagerstown, ...

, held in February, to promote the bird feeding hobby.

References

External links

Official National Bird-Feeding Society website

Wild Bird Centers of America

Project Wildbird

Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc.
{{authority control Ornithological organizations Birds of the United States, .NS Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Environmental organizations established in 1989 1989 establishments in the United States