The short version: food matters less than you think, and water matters more. In a hard freeze the thing most yards are missing is not seed — it is somewhere to drink and somewhere to shelter out of the wind.
Put out water that is not frozen
Unfrozen water can be harder to find in winter than food. Birds need it to drink and, surprisingly, to bathe — clean feathers trap air better, and trapped air is insulation.
A shallow dish is all it takes. The Cornell Lab points out that an upside-down garbage can lid or a large frying pan works fine. If you want it reliable, an immersion-style heater keeps it open through a freeze. Clean it often and refill with fresh water.
Offer the high-energy foods, not the cheap mix
Short days mean less time to feed and longer nights to get through. Birds in cold climates especially value high-fat food.
- Black-oil sunflower — high in fat, thin shells, and it attracts the greatest number of species.
- Suet or peanut butter — this is what the insect-eaters live on when there are no insects: chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches. Plain beef suet works; peanut butter can be mixed with cornmeal or oatmeal.
- Peanuts — plain, never salted or flavoured.
Skip the cheap supermarket mix. Birds pick out the sunflower and leave the rest on the ground to mould.
Give them somewhere to get out of the wind
- Evergreens offer the most protection from winter wind and predators. If you have one, put the feeder where birds can duck into it.
- Build a loose brush pile near the feeder. Ground birds like Song Sparrows use it to rest and to escape. Your Christmas tree, laid on its side in January, does the job.
- Space several feeders a few feet apart so birds are not crowding and squabbling in the cold.
Two placement rules that save lives
Window collisions kill birds year-round, and a panicked flush from a feeder is a common cause. Cornell’s guidance is to place feeders within 3 feet of a window, or attached to it — close enough that a startled bird cannot build up fatal speed.
Separately, keep feeders about 10 feet from trees and shrubs. Close enough that birds can dive for cover, far enough that a cat cannot launch from them.
Keep perspective
Feeders help, but they are a supplement, not a lifeline. Even birds with a full feeder available get about three-quarters of their diet elsewhere. What you are doing is making a hard week easier, not keeping them alive single-handed.
The one thing never to do
Never put antifreeze in a birdbath to stop it icing over. It is poisonous to birds and to every other animal that drinks it.
Sources
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Winter Bird Feeding
- Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — food types and feeding guidance
Last reviewed: October 2026.