Feed the birds the seeds they like.

A field guide to the eleven birds at your feeder, and the seed each one comes for.

Cardinal: a male Cardinal on a vine. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Birds of New York, plate 85. — CardinalCardinalis cardinalis cardinalis1Crest2Black face3Red billLouis Agassiz Fuertes, Birds of New York, plate 85

Food

Strongly prefers white millet, black oil sunflower, striped sunflower and safflower; readily eats milo, cracked corn and peanut kernels.

From Wagner’s Bird Feeding Preference Chart

Wagner’s Cardinal Blend

“Blended to attract Cardinals and other Songbirds.”

Buy on Amazon Home Depot

Amazon listing: 6 lb bag

A bag of Wagner's Cardinal Blend wild bird food

Wagner’s own chart

Every FOOD line in this guide comes from Wagner’s Bird Feeding Preference Chart: eleven birds, eight seeds, five Wagner’s blends, and which each bird strongly prefers or readily eats.

Strongly preferred Readily eatenWagner’s key

Wagner’s Bird Feeding Preference Chart: which seeds and Wagner’s blends each of eleven birds strongly prefers or readily eats.
Seed												Notes
White Millet	readily eaten	strongly preferred	not listed	strongly preferred	readily eaten	not listed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	not listed	not listed	not listed
Milo	readily eaten	readily eaten	not listed	readily eaten	not listed	not listed	readily eaten	readily eaten	not listed	not listed	not listed
Cracked Corn	strongly preferred	readily eaten	not listed	strongly preferred	not listed	strongly preferred	readily eaten	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed
Black Oil Sunflower Seed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	The one seed all eleven strongly prefer. Wagner’s lists Black Oil Sunflower Seed among its firsts: 1953.
Striped Sunflower Seed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed	readily eaten	strongly preferred
Peanut Kernels	strongly preferred	readily eaten	strongly preferred	not listed	not listed	readily eaten	readily eaten	not listed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred
Nyjer Seed	not listed	not listed	not listed	not listed	strongly preferred	not listed	readily eaten	strongly preferred	not listed	not listed	not listed
Safflower Seed	not listed	strongly preferred	readily eaten	readily eaten	not listed	readily eaten	not listed	not listed	not listed	readily eaten	not listed	Squirrels: Wagner’s says “there are two seeds that squirrels do not like — safflower and nyjer seed.” And for the squirrels themselves: “Cracked corn works nicely.”
Wagner’s premium products												Three Wagner’s blends are strongly preferred by all eleven: Cardinal Blend, Songbird Supreme and Greatest Variety.
Cardinal Blend	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred
Songbird Supreme	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred
Greatest Variety	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred
Finches Supreme	not listed	not listed	not listed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	not listed	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	not listed	not listed	not listed
Shell Free	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	strongly preferred	not listed	strongly preferred

The one seed all eleven strongly prefer. Wagner’s lists Black Oil Sunflower Seed among its firsts: 1953.
Three Wagner’s blends are strongly preferred by all eleven: Cardinal Blend, Songbird Supreme and Greatest Variety.
Squirrels: Wagner’s says “there are two seeds that squirrels do not like — safflower and nyjer seed.” And for the squirrels themselves: “Cracked corn works nicely.”

CardinalFoodStrongly prefers white millet, black oil sunflower, striped sunflower and safflower; readily eats milo, cracked corn and peanut kernels. Its bag: Wagner’s Cardinal Blend.

Source: Wagner’s Bird Feeding Preference Chart, wagners.com, read 11 October 2026

All year round

Wagner’s was founded in 1894 and calls itself “the oldest and largest privately-owned wild bird food products company in the United States.” In 1930, it says, it made the first “Four Season” all-year wild bird food. Before that, in Wagner’s words, “bird feeding was just a winter activity.”

An early Wagner Bros. storefront lettered Hay, Grain and Poultry Food, with a delivery truck at the curb — From Wagner’s About page: the Wagner Bros. store

Wagner’s firsts, as Wagner’s lists them

1894Founded
1930First to market a “Four Season” all year Wild Bird Food
1953First to market Black Oil Sunflower Seed
1968First to market a re-closable bag of Wild Bird Food
1975First to market a “Deluxe” item of Wild Bird Food
1983First to market a “Premium” Item of Wild Bird Food
1998First to market a stand-up bag for easy storage
2006First to market with Regional Blends for optimal regional bird feeding
2006First to market a “Slider Top” easy-to-use package
2010First to market quad-seal slider package

Fuertes' male Goldfinch in winter plumage on a weed stalk before a snowy farm, the female's head at the edge. Birds of New York, plate 78.

Fuertes' Goldfinches in summer: the yellow male with his black cap, and the olive female. Birds of New York, plate 79.

Goldfinch, male in winter, the female at the edge. Plate 78. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Birds of New York

Before 1930: “just a winter activity.”

Winternatural food supplies are scarce
Springmigrations
Summernesting
Fallmigrations

Why feed every season, from Wagner’s Bird Feeding Fundamentals

All eleven

Not sure which bird will come? Wagner’s chart marks Greatest Variety strongly preferred by every one of the eleven birds in this guide.

Wagner’s Greatest Variety

“A blend that attracts the greatest variety of Songbirds.” Its bag calls it “Our Bestseller #1.”

4.6 out of 5 from 18,351 Amazon ratingsread 11 October 2026

Buy on Amazon Home Depot

Amazon listing: 16 lb bag

A bag of Wagner's Greatest Variety premium wild bird food

Happy bird feeding!

Your Friends at Wagner’s, since 1894.

Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis

Food

Strongly prefers white millet, black oil sunflower, striped sunflower and safflower; readily eats milo, cracked corn and peanut kernels.

Wagner’s Cardinal Blend

Buy on Amazon Home Depot

Amazon listing: 6 lb bag

Wagner’s says it is “widely available at many leading retailers throughout the United States.”

Index

Blue JayPlate 70Cyanocitta cristata cristata
CardinalPlate 85Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis
ChickadeePlate 103Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus
Downy WoodpeckerPlate 59Dryobates pubescens medianus
Evening GrosbeakPlate 79Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina
GoldfinchPlate 79Astragalinus tristis tristis
Mourning DovePlate 42Zenaidura macroura carolinensis
Purple FinchPlate 76Carpodacus purpureus purpureus
Slate-colored JuncoPlate 82Junco hyemalis hyemalis
Tufted TitmousePlate 103Baeolophus bicolor
White-breasted NuthatchPlate 103Sitta carolinensis carolinensis

Index

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