How do wild birds locate the birdseed in my bird feeder?
Category: Backyard Bird Questions and Answers
I fill the feeder. The first day, there are no birds. The next day, there are dozens. Is it smell? Sight? Some high-tech device that they purchased at Radio Shack? I looked around on the Internet for an answer, but could find nothing definitive. Any bird-lovers out there who can solve this mystery for me?
Garden birds will have a territory that the regularly patrol on the hunt for food. They will also be keeping an eye on rival birds to see if they have located a food source.
I believe they mainly locate food by sight.
It is mainly by sight. You probably have some resident birds in your yard that happen upon your feeder, and once they start feeding, every other bird around will see that there is a food source there and they will show up to feed as well. Most bird species have a horrible sense of smell..so, no they do not smell the seed.
Most birds have a poor sense of smell, so believe it or not, they find feeders mainly by vision. Upon finding a food source too big for a single bird to consume, some birds will call to mates, or sometimes to flock mates, to alert them to its presence. But not all calls at a food source are altruistic. Once a few birds have gathered, they may fight over access to the food, especially if only a few good perches are available. The threat calls they give may inform other birds in the area that something worth fighting for has turned up, and attract them.
Birds are constantly searching for food sources. If you don’t seem to be attracting birds, make sure you have the right food. If you purchase inexpensive mixes containing a lot of milo, millet and corn, you may not attract the more desirable songbirds. If you have a good food available and still are not attracting birds, try tying a piece of tin foil on top of the feeder. A little glint from this foil will catch their eye (and since they find food by sight it really helps your odds).
I purchase my bird seed from http://www.yourbirdoasis.com – they have a automatic monthly bird seed program. If you sign up for the program, enter your billing information, shipping information, they will ship bird seed to your door on a monthly basis. It’s great! I never have to travel to the store or order my seed each month.
Hope that helps!