Looking for a reference guide on bird feeding in Montana? Look no further! Below I’ve listed (in alphabetical order), 26 Montana birds you can attract to a feeder, their preferred food, and the top bird feeder options. Also, I’ve provided tidbits based on my experience and some of my top food and feeder picks for birds I’ve had a lot of success with attracting.
Disclaimer: Some links found on this page might be affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I might earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Also, before diving into the specific birds, here are a handful of universal things you can do to increase your chances of bringing birds to your yard before you even hang up a feeder.
- Provide water (especially a heated bird bath in the winter)
- Avoid using pesticides
- Have trees and shrubbery nearby
- Plant native plants in your yard
- Keep your cats indoors
Bird Feeder References (links to examples on Amazon)
Bird Feed References (links to examples)
Mealworms (dried – check out your local bird store for live mealworms!)
Sunflower hearts (no shell or mess)
Authors note: I’m skipping birds of prey, rare and nuisance birds like Cowbirds, House Sparrows, Grackles, etc. in this article. If you really want these…white millet, suet and cracked corn would be my top food recommendation.
Sources: The Cornell Bird Lab, Audubon Society and a hefty dose of my firsthand experience.
American Goldfinches
The Range of the American Goldfinch
Orange – Summer Breeding Range, Purple – Year-Round Range, Blue – Winter Range
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Goldfinches?
Sunflower chips (my top choice) and nyjer seed
My Top Online Bird Seed Recommendation for Goldfinches:
Valley Farms Sunflower Hearts Wild Bird Food – 15 lbs
What kind of bird feeder suits them?
Just about any kind, but tube feeders are best. You can also use a sock feeder filled with nyjer seed for Goldfinches.
Other tips?
If you have the means to do so, plant native thistle plants as an organic way to attract Goldfinches to your yard!
Related: 4 Tips for Attracting American Goldfinches to your Yard
American Robins
What Time of Year?
Year-round (more common in the spring through fall), through most of Montana.
What’s the Best Food for Robins?
Fruits (apples, oranges, berries, raisins), mealworms
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Robins?
Food on the ground or a large platform feeder. Robins are hard to draw to feeders. The ground is your best best!
Other tips?
I haven’t had luck bringing a robin directly to my feeders. However, they’re familiar visitors in the surrounding area looking for worms and berries in trees. Try putting out diced fruit like apples in the springtime and you can get lucky.
Baltimore Orioles
What Time of Year?
During the spring and early summer in Eastern and Northern Montana.
Red – Wintering Range, Blue – Breeding Season (Spring until Fall)
Image Credit: Cephas, Wikipedia
What Should You Feed Baltimore Orioles?
Grape jelly (top pick), oranges, hummingbird nectar, suet (sometimes – they have orange flavors of suet specifically for orioles, but I’ve never had luck with these). Baltimore Orioles will prefer eating mealworms later in the summer during nesting season.
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Baltimore Orioles?
A specialty orange/jelly feeder, nectar feeder
My Top Bird Feeder Pick For Baltimore Orioles: A Flower Oriole Feeder has led to many Orioles in my yard each spring and early summer!
Other tidbits:
Baltimore Orioles typically arrive from their migration in Montana in late-April or May, which is the best time to have one visit your feeder. However, if they set up a nest nearby, they will visit your feeder through August.
Related Content: How to get Baltimore Orioles Visiting Your Bird Feeder
Black-Headed Grosbeaks
What Time of Year?
During the spring and summer throughout most of Montana.
Yellow: Spring migration only
Blue: Non-breeding
Purple: Year-round
Image credit: Cephas, Wikipedia
What Should You Feed Black Headed Grosbeak?
Sunflower seed! They will also visit hummingbird nectar feeders in the summer, on occasion.
What Kind of Bird Feeder is Best for Black Headed Grosbeak?
Nearly anything. Try a sturdy tube feeder, hopper feeder, or tray feeder.
Blue Jays
What Time of Year?
Year-round in Eastern-Montana. Scarce throughout the rest of the state during the winter.
Blue: Wintering range
Source: Wikipedia Commons
What Should You Feed Blue Jays?
Peanuts in the shell (best bet), peanut bits, suet, sunflower seeds, corn
My Top Bird Seed Recommendation for Blue Jays:
Premium Peanuts In Shell – Wild Bird – Wildlife Food
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Blue Jays?
Blue Jays need a sturdy house or platform feeder with a lot of room to support their weight (they’re a large feeder bird).
Other tidbits:
Attract Blue Jays with peanuts on a sturdy platform feeder, or simply serve them on the ground (beware as this will also certainly attract squirrels and chipmunks – not that I would know…).
Related Content: How to Attract Blue Jays to Your Bird Feeder
Cedar Waxwings
What Time of Year?
Year-round in most of the state.
Yellow – Summer Only Range, Green – Year-Round, Blue – Winter Range
What Kind of Food do Cedar Waxwings Like?
Fruit! Your best bet is to have a native tree or shrub in your yard with small berries (dogwood, cedar, winterberry, etc.).
What Kind of Bird Feeder Suits Them?
Cedar Waxwings rarely visit feeders but are known to visit bird baths in flocks. You may also have luck with a bird seed mix that has dried fruit in it.
Black-Capped Chickadees
What Time of Year?
Year-round everywhere in Montana.
What Kind of Food Do Chickadees Like?
Nearly everything (they’re the least picky bird I have at my feeders): Sunflower seeds, safflower seed, suet, mealworms (my Chickadee visitors especially love these).
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Chickadees:
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Chickadees?
Nearly any feeder. Chickadees aren’t picky!
Related Content: 5 Surefire Tips to Attract Chickadees to Your Bird Feeder
Chipping Sparrows
What Time of Year?
Orange: Breeding, Yellow: Spring-Migration Only, Purple: Year-round, Blue: Non-breeding
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Chipping Sparrows?
Millet (top choice), sunflower seeds, cracked corn
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Sparrows:
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Chipping Sparrows?
Just about anything
Other tips?
Mix in some millet into your sunflower seeds to attract Chipping Sparrows. What I love about Chipping Sparrows is how tame they can be around people. They’re one of the few birds that will visit my feeders when I’m sitting nearby.
Related Content: The Definitive Bird Feeder Bird Power Rankings
Common Redpolls
What Time of Year?
Winter (more common in the northernmost regions of Montana).
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Redpolls?
They particularly like Nyjer seed and also sunflower chips
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Redpolls:
Wild Delight Special Finch Food
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Redpolls?
A tube feeder is best (but any feeder will likely work)
Other tips?
An erratic migrating bird from Canada. You may see large groups some winters and none at all other years. It all depends on their food supply and migration route.
Dark-Eyed Juncos
The Range of Dark Eyed Juncos
Yellow – Summer Breeding Range, Green – Year-Round Range, Blue – Wintering Non-Breeding Range
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Juncos?
Millet (best bet), hulled sunflower seed, cracked corn, peanut hearts
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Juncos:
What Kind of Bird Feeder is Best for Juncos?
A ground feeder (leftover seed knocked down from hanging feeders will also suffice)
Downy Woodpeckers
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Montana.
What Kind of Food do They Like?
Suet (top choice – especially peanut flavored), will also eat sunflower seeds on occasion
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers?
Suet feeders of all types (they aren’t picky).
My Top Amazon Bird Feeder Pick For Downy and Hair Woodpeckers:
Wildlife Sciences Suet Plug Feeder
Other tips?
Once you attract a Downy Woodpecker to your feeders, they’ll likely be back every single day. I’ve had a pair of Downy Woodpeckers visiting my feeders for about a year now. They show up like clockwork.
Related Content: The Ultimate Guide to Attract Woodpeckers to Your Bird Feeders
Evening Grosbeaks
The Range of Evening Grosbeaks
Green – Year-round Range, Yellow – Wintering Range
Credit – Wikipedia Commons
What’s the Best Food for Evening Grosbeaks?
Sunflower seeds
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Evening Grosbeaks?
A hopper or platform feeder (they are heavy finches)
Other tips?
Irregular migrants and not likely to visit your feeders consistently every year. If they do, they will often appear in large flocks and eat a lot of sunflower seeds. That’s not a bad problem to have. These birds look awesome!
Gray Catbirds
The Range of the Gray Catbird
Orange: Summer breeding, Yellow: Spring migration, Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Wintering Range
What’s the Best Bird Feed and Feeder for Catbirds?
Catbirds can be drawn to feeders with fruit or grape jelly. If you have a Baltimore Oriole feeder out in the spring and summer, you may also have Gray Catbirds stopping by.
Other Tips?
The Cornell Bird Lab says you should plant shrubs in your yard near young deciduous trees to attract Catbirds. You can also plant native plants with fruit to naturally draw them to your home.
Hairy Woodpeckers
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Montana.
What Kind of Food do Hairy Woodpeckers Like?
Suet (top choice – especially peanut flavored), will also eat sunflower seeds
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Hairy Woodpeckers ?
Suet feeders of all types. I have Hairy Woodpeckers who visit my suet log feeder.
Other tips?
If you have dead trees in your yard, consider leaving them for Hairy Woodpeckers to nest in!
House Finches
What Time of Year?
Year-round everywhere in Montana.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for House Finches?
Sunflower seed (top choice), safflower seed, nyjer seed
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for House Finches:
Meadow Ridge Farms Black Oil Sunflower Seed
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for House Finches?
Just about anything
Other tips?
House finches are often the first birds to find a new feeder (they were my first birds to visit). I’ve randomly found that they also go bananas for grape jelly in my Oriole feeder in the spring.
Mountain Chickadees
Sorry, I’m unable to find a photo I’m able to use for Mountain Chickadees (unless someone would like to donate one for me to use). But, I felt it was too much of a miss to not include this bird on the list! Here’s a link to the Cornell Bird Lab with some great images. They look very similar to Black Capped Chickadees, just with white eyebrows.
What Time of Year?
Year-round in Western Montana and in scattered spots in the Center of the state.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Mountain Chickadees?
Mountain Chickadees enjoy eating black oil sunflower seed at bird feeders. They will also go for suet in the winter.
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Pine Grosbeaks?
Large tube, platform and hopper feeders
Mourning Doves
The Range of Mourning Doves
Mourning Doves tend to be seen during the summer breeding season in most of Montana.
Orange: Summer Breeding Range, Purple: Year-Round Range, Blue: Non Breeding Winter Range – Image Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Mourning Doves?
White millet (best choice), sunflower seeds, corn
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Mourning Doves:
What kind of bird feeder suits them?
A large platform or ground feeder
Other tips?
Unless you have a large and steady platform feeder, sprinkling millet on the ground is perfect for Mourning Doves. They’re big birds and need a sturdy place to sit.
Northern Flickers
What Time of Year?
Year-round everywhere in Montana.
Orange: Breeding, Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Non-Breeding
What kind of food do Northern Flickers like?
A rare visitor to feeders (but often use bird baths). Will eat sunflowers, peanuts and suet on occasion
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Northern Flickers?
A suet or ground feeder
Other tips?
Northern Flickers will use large nest boxes if you have space for one in your yard.
Pine Grosbeaks
What Time of Year?
Year-round in Western Montana and during the winter in the Eastern parts of the state.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Pine Grosbeaks?
Sunflower seeds (best choice) and suet
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Pine Grosbeaks?
Large tube, platform and hopper feeders
Other tips?
According to The Cornell Bird Lab, Pine Grosbeaks can also be seen eating grit near roads by forests.
Pine Siskin
What Time of Year?
Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Winter, Orange: Summer
Source: Cephas, Wikipedia
Purple: Year-Round
Dark Blue: Winter
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Pine Siskins?
Nyjer seed, hulled sunflower seeds, suet (maybe).
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Pine Siskins:
Wild Delight Special Finch Food
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Pine Siskins?
Nearly anything! The Pine Siskin that visit me often love the large tube feeder I have with a finch blend.
Other tips?
This is another erratic bird based off its food supply and migration. The Cornell Bird Lab says: “Flocks of tiny Pine Siskins may monopolize your thistle feeder one winter and be absent the next.”
Red Breasted Nuthatches
What Time of Year?
During the winter throughout the entire state.
Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Non-breeding
Credit: Cephas, Wikipedia
What’s the Best Food for Red Breasted Nuthatches?
Peanuts, suet and sunflower seeds
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Red Breasted Nuthatches?
Almost anything
Other tips?
Offer an assortment of seeds on a variety of feeders to attract nuthatches. They will often sample several seeds before picking their favorite and fly off.
Rose Breasted Grosbeaks
What Time of Year?
During the spring migration in the Central and Eastern portion of the state (see range map below).
Yellow: Breeding-Range, Orange: Migration-Only, Blue: Winter-Range
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Rose Breasted Grosbeaks?
Sunflower (top choice), safflower
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Rose Breasted Grosbeaks?
A large platform, hopper or tube feeder
Other tips?
They’re likely to visit feeders in the late spring during migration when they need extra energy. Have native berry plants and shrubs in your yard for another chance to attract these birds
Song Sparrows
What Time of Year?
Year-round in the Southwest areas of the state (purple). During the spring/summer breeding season in orange.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Song Sparrows?
Millet (top choice), sunflower seeds, cracked corn
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Song Sparrows:
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Song Sparrows?
Song Sparrows usually eat seed straight from the ground. A ground feeder will also appeal to them.
Other tips?
Song Sparrows are surprisingly aggressive at my feeders! They usually chase away House Sparrows and other song birds to get at the seed on the ground.
Steller’s Jays
Where?
Year-round in Western Montana.
What’s the Best Food for Steller’s Jays?
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Steller’s Jays?
Get a sturdy hopper or tray feeder to support Steller’s Jays. They may also visit suet cage feeders.
Other Tips?
Like Blue Jay’s, Steller’s Jays will take food from bird feeders to cache it for later! These birds are common both in forested areas and backyards.
Western Tanagers
What Time of Year?
During spring migration in Eastern Montana. They spend the summer nesting season in Central and Southern areas of the state.
Orange: Summer nesting
Blue: Winter
Image credit: Cephas, Wikipedia
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Western Tanager?
They don’t eat seeds, BUT they may drop by for some energizing fruit (like oranges) at a bird feeder. A bird bath will also increase your odds, just like with any other bird. Good luck!
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Western Tanager?
Any Oriole feeder where you can stick a sliced orange on it!
White Breasted Nuthatches
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout much of Montana. More common in the Central and Southwestern parts of the state.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for White Breasted Nuthatches?
Peanut bits (top choice), sunflower, suet, safflower
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for White Breasted Nuthatch:
Lyric Peanut Pieces Wild Bird Food
What kind of bird feeder suits them?
Just about anything
Other tips?
A common year-round visitor for me. Listen for their nasal call – I’ll often hear a nuthatch before it arrives on my feeders. They are acrobatic and will often hand upside down on my feeders.