If you have birds, you’ve seen and probably pondered birds throwing seeds and/or pellets out of their feeders.
What causes this, or why do birds waste seeds?
There are a few reasons birds throw seeds out of feeders. First, the seeds you offered may not be the birds’ favorite, and they are discarding them as they look for something they like better.
Second, they may be feeding on the soft, inner portion of the seed and discarding the hard portions. Third, the seeds or pellets could simply be “spilled.” In other words, the bird slipped the seeds out of the hole inadvertently.
Here is a closer look at why birds waste seeds and some ways to curb that behavior.
5 Most Common Reasons on Why Do Birds Throw Seeds Out of Feeders
Throwing Inedible Parts
It’s important to emphasize that birds do not consume the entire seed.
Usually, they consume the softer part, which is called the kernel. Afterward, they discard the tougher part known as the shell.
This is also true of all seeds regardless of size, as the outer seed coat must always be removed before a bird eats the kernel.
Habitual Removal
Some species especially ground feeders have a tendency to “kick” seeds as they forage.
By doing so, they are searching for softer areas that they may have missed. Unfortunately, this is an ingrained habit that just can’t be altered.
Poor-quality Seeds
The production of birdseed is done using machines.
To begin, edible kernel is collected and separated from the rest of the fruit or vegetable.
Since the seeds have not been separated, you may end up with what we call immature seeds that are empty inside.
In the wild, birds will sift through the seeds to find the seeds that contained meat, and once they found the seeds or vegetable pieces that were useless they would toss them aside.
If you find immature or useless seeds in your birds feeder, it is an indicator your bird is behaving in a “normal’ or healthy manner.
Germinating Seeds
Birds will also throw out seeds that begin to germinate.
Birds have the ability to eat wet seeds without any harm to them but clumping together makes it hard to swallow.
After a while, the wet seed begins germinating rendering it inedible. Be sure and keep your feeder dry to prevent this from happening.
Accidental Spills
Every once in a while, accidents happen.
While the birds are feeding from the feeder, you may find some seeds falling off.
The answer: Just make the feeder larger.
What are the Adverse Effects of Fallen Seed?
Not only does it create a mess, but having seeds all over your garden also makes it messy.
The seeds also raise the susceptibility to infections that you do not want to happen to your birds.
Here are some of the possible consequences of leaving the seed out in your feeder.
- Health risks related to rodents – seed will be eaten by rodents, which may carry diseases with them. Furthermore, these animals will require further feed as investment!
- Risk of biosecurity and disease – as seeds sit on the ground unattended, they can grow moldy. Moldy seeds can be harmful to birds that come into contact with them.
- Risk of soil impacts – some of the seeds may alter your soil’s chemical balance and consequently inhibit plant growth.
- Risk of germination – Lastly, at some unpredictable time, your fallen seeds can germinate causing a mess.
How Do You Prevent Birds from Throwing Seed Out?
Below are some of the ways you can use to prevent birds from throwing seeds outside their feeder.
Investing in High-quality Seed
While shopping, it’s always helpful to demand high quality.
Do not buy a product from a dealer selling cheap and verifiable seed source.
It’s worth the cost of higher seed whether it is grass or bird seed they may contain unknown sources that could be dangerous to your animals.
If you don’t know different brands of bird seed, I suggest you ask for help from the professionals.
Otherwise, you’ll end up with a product that won’t be of any value to the birds.
Change the Feeder Type
The two main types of bird feeders are either hanging feeders or table-style feeders.
While table feeders are easier to set up, they can be more likely to get attacked by rodents.
Regardless of which style you choose, make sure the design prevents seed from falling to the ground,
Particularly, the feeder should either be enclosed or roofed to prevent water from getting to the food.
Also, consider choosing a model that is anti-fungal to reduce the chance of infection.
Trap the Seed
Finally, if you wish, you can put a sieve under your feeder to catch the seeds that fall.
This is easy and you can do it yourself if you have an old sieve you want to put to use for a new function.
Wrapping Up
Even though it is nearly impossible for birds not to toss out seeds, I do have some proven tactics to minimize the mess.
The first thing is to ensure you have the proper equipment and are putting the proper seed in the feeder as well. Next, keep the feeder with a roof on it and out of the weather.
Lastly, you will want to ensure you keep your feeder clean to prevent contamination from possible infections. It is a good idea to clean up any discarded seed you see before it could become a bigger issue.
This way, you can save some money that you would have spent dealing with the issues.