Black oil sunflower seed is the best single choice for most Canadian backyards, since it attracts the widest range of species at the lowest cost per pound of any widely available seed type. Beyond that base, the right second or third seed depends on a specific goal, such as less mess at the feeder, finches specifically, or fewer squirrel problems.
What Makes One Type of Seed Work for the Widest Range of Backyard Birds?
A thin, easily cracked shell paired with a high fat content is what lets nearly every backyard species get at a seed and get real feeding value from it once they do. A seed that's harder to crack or lower in fat narrows the audience to birds equipped to handle it, which is the main reason one all purpose seed type tends to outperform a filler heavy blend for a yard that wants to attract as many species as possible.
What's the Best All Around Seed for Most Canadian Backyards?
Black Oil Sunflower, priced from $10.95 for a 6 pound bag, meets both of those criteria: a thinner shell than striped sunflower seed and a high fat content that appeals across species from chickadees to cardinals. It's the seed most backyard birders start with and the one most other seed choices get compared against.
What's a Good Less Mess Alternative to Whole Sunflower Seed?
For a feeder area where hulls piling up underneath is a problem, Sunflower Hearts, priced from $15.95 for a 4 pound bag, skips the shell entirely so birds eat the whole seed with nothing left behind to clean up or reseed the lawn. The tradeoff is a higher price per pound than whole sunflower seed, covered in more detail in What Is the Difference Between Sunflower Hearts and Mixed Bird Seed?
What Seed Works Best for Attracting Finches Specifically?
Nyjer, also sold as thistle seed, is a tiny, oil rich seed that finches favour far more than most other backyard species, which naturally limits a feeder stocked with it to a narrower set of visitors. Nyjer, priced from $16.95 for a 4 pound bag, needs a mesh or small port feeder built for its size rather than a standard hopper or platform feeder. What Is the Difference Between Niger Seed and Safflower for Bird Feeding? covers how it compares to the other common specialty seed.
Does Seed Choice Help With a Squirrel Problem?
To some extent, yes. Most squirrels find the taste of safflower bitter and tend to leave it alone, while many backyard birds, including cardinals, aren't bothered by it at all. Safflower, priced from $14.95 for a 4 pound bag, is worth trying as a seed swap before adding a mechanical squirrel proof feeder, though it isn't a guaranteed fix on its own for a particularly determined squirrel.
Is a Mixed Seed Blend Worth Buying Instead of a Single Seed Type?
A blend like Red Carpet Mix, priced from $14.95 for a 6 pound bag, trades some efficiency for convenience: a single bag covers more species at once than any one seed type alone, but a blend with a lot of filler seed, like milo or cracked corn, tends to get picked through and wasted rather than eaten. For a full species by species breakdown of which seed each type of backyard bird actually prefers, What Bird Seed Attracts Which Bird Species? covers that ground directly rather than repeating it here.
Does Bag Size Change Which Option Makes Sense?
It can. Every seed type above ships for home delivery only in its smallest bag size, generally 4 to 6 pounds, while larger bulk sizes, up to 50 pounds, are available for in store pickup only rather than shipping. What Should I Look for When Buying Birdseed in Bulk? walks through the cost per pound tradeoffs at bulk sizes for anyone feeding enough birds to justify it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the price range for a starter bag of each seed type?
$10.95 to $16.95 CAD for the smallest available bag of each type covered above, all available for home delivery.
Is there a minimum order for free shipping?
Yes. Most Canadian orders over $125 ship free, and anything below that is charged standard shipping at checkout.
Can an opened bag of birdseed be returned if the birds don't take to it?
No. Birdseed is treated as a perishable item once opened and isn't eligible for return, though an unopened bag can still be returned within the standard 45 day window.
Does the Best Seed Choice Change in Winter?
The priorities shift toward fat content rather than variety, since birds need more energy to stay warm. What Should I Feed Backyard Birds in an Ontario Winter? covers the seasonal adjustments in full.
