Looking for a reference guide on bird feeding in Virginia? Look no further! Below I’ve listed (in alphabetical order), 29Virginia 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.
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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
- Clean your bird feeders every few weeks to prevent disease from spreading
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.
Sources: The Cornell Bird Lab, Audubon Society and a hefty dose of my firsthand experience.
American Goldfinches
The Range of the American Goldfinch
American Goldfinches are found year-round throughout Virginia.
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 everywhere in Virginia.
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?
The spring and early summer. You can find Orioles through much of the state through the summer, except for the Southeastern portion of the state.
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: Birds Choice Oriole Flower-Shaped Feeder w/Heart Ornament
Other tidbits:
Baltimore Orioles typically arrive from their migration in Virginia 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 sporadically visit your feeder through the summer.
Related Content: How to get Baltimore Orioles Visiting Your Bird Feeder
Black-Capped Chickadees
What Time of Year?
Year-round, but only in the Western-most areas of Virginia.
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 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
Blue Jays
What Time of Year?
Year-round (everywhere in Virginia)
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 Virginia.
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.
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
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 (everywhere and abundant in Virginia).
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 Woodpeckers?
Suet feeders of all types (they aren’t picky).
My Top Amazon Bird Feeder Pick For Downy 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 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
Eastern Bluebirds
What Time of Year?
Yellow – Summer Breeding Range, Green – Year-Round Range, Purple – Wintering Range
Credit: rbrausse, Wikipedia
What’s the Best Food for Bluebirds?
Live mealworms
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Bluebirds?
A platform or ground feeder.
Other tips?
Getting live mealworms and putting them on a sturdy feeder is your best bet to drawing one of these awesome birds to your feeder in the warm months. Eastern Bluebirds are also likely to take up residence in nest boxes if you have space. You’ll probably have the best luck with that approach if you live in a more remote area.
Eastern Towhees
What Time of Year?
Purple: Year-round, Orange: Summer range
What’s the Best Food for Eastern Towhee?
Peanut bits or hulled sunflower seed. They also like black-oil sunflower seed and cracked corn.
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Eastern Towhee?
A ground feeder. They like to forage for food on the ground!
Other Tips?
The Cornell Bird Lab recommends you place a feeder near the edge of some vegetation and/or brushy areas of your yard. This will increase the odds of them scattering around for seed on the ground!
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 Virginia.
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 Virginia.
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.
Indigo Bunting
Range of Indigo Bunting
Yellow: Summer Range, Green: Migrating Range, Blue: Winter Range
Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Indigo Bunting?
White millet (best choice), hulled sunflower seed, nyjer seed
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Indigo Bunting?
They enjoy eating from the ground, or on small tube feeders
Other tips?
Your best bet is to have your feeders stocked in the spring with white millet and catch them during their migration.
Mourning Doves
The Range of Mourning Doves
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 Cardinals
What Time of Year?
Cardinals are the state bird of Virginia and can be found year-round! Here’s the range of the Northern Cardinal below.
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Cardinals?
Sunflower seeds (top choice – black oil sunflower), safflower seed, millet, peanuts. There are Cardinal bird seed blends with both sunflower and safflower seeds.
My Top Amazon Bird Seed Recommendation for Cardinals:
Meadow Ridge Farms Black Oil Sunflower Seed
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Cardinals?
A large platform or ground feeder are the best bird feeders for Cardinals. They will visit most feeders as long as they can support their weight. Cardinals are larger songbirds (7 to 9 inches long).
Other tips?
Have your feeders in a quiet spot with bushes or trees nearby. Cardinals are shy birds and will want to scout out feeders and have a safe place to hide if they feel threatened. In the winter, when they aren’t competing for mates, you have a good chance of attracting several Cardinals at sunrise and sunset.
For more detail, check out my story with 5+ tips for attracting Cardinals to your yard!
Northern Flickers
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Virginia.
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.
Range of Northern Flickers
Orange: Breeding, Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Non-Breeding
Pileated Woodpeckers
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Virginia.
What’s the Best Food for Pileated Woodpeckers?
Suet (top choice)
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Pileated Woodpeckers?
A large suet cage or platform.
Other tips?
Pileated Woodpeckers are HUGE. So, you’ll want to get a suet feeder that’s big enough to support them. Some suet feeders come with large platforms underneath, giving the bird room to balance using its tail.
Pine Siskins
What Time of Year?
During the winter throughout Virginia.
Purple: Year-Round, Blue: Winter, Orange: Summer
Source: Cephas, Wikipedia
Purple: Year-Round
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 visits me often loves 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.”
Purple Finches
What Time of Year?
In the winter throughout Virginia.
Pink: Summer, Orange: Winter, Green: Year-Round
Green: Year-Round
Pink: Summer range
Image Credit: Nk, Wikipedia
What’s the Best Bird Seed for Purple Finches?
Sunflower seed (top choice), safflower seed, nyjer
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Purple Finches?
Just about anything.
Other tidbits?
Purple Finches are more rare than the similar looking House Finches. Male Purple Finches have a red cap versus a brown cap for House Finches.
Red-Bellied Woodpeckers
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Virginia.
What’s the Best Food for Red Bellied Woodpeckers?
Suet (best choice), sunflower seeds, peanuts
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Red Bellied Woodpeckers?
A sturdy suet feeder or platform feeder.
Other tips?
You’ll have luck attracting a Red Bellied Woodpecker if you live near any sort of wooded area and offer a suet feeder. They’re also fond of sunflower seeds on occasion and will even take hummingbird nectar in the summer.
Red Breasted Nuthatches
What Time of Year?
In the winter throughout most of Virginia.
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?
Everywhere in Virginia during the spring and summer.
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.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds
What Time of Year?
May through September (everywhere in Virginia)
Orange: Summer, Yellow: Migration-Only, Blue: Winter-Range
What’s the Best Food for Hummingbirds?
Nectar, flowers in your yard. You can easily make your own hummingbird nectar from home by combining four parts water with one part table sugar.
IMPORTANT: You must completely clean out your hummingbird feeders every other day at minimum. Clean them every day if it’s hot outside or if the feeders are in direct sunlight. The nectar easily starts growing bacteria and mold. This can harm or kill the hummingbird!
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Hummingbirds?
A nectar hummingbird feeder that has the color red or yellow. Both of those colors attract hummingbirds! I tend to pick red-colored feeders because yellow can also attract bees.
Here’s a link to a roundup of some of the best hummingbird feeders you can find online.
Other tips?
I’ve also had luck attracting hummingbirds by hanging up a native flower plant in the summer. I’ve also seen them be curious of my orange/jelly feeder for Orioles.
Related: How to Attract Hummingbirds to a Feeder in Just Three Steps
Scarlet Tanager
Orange: Summer, Yellow: Migration-Only, Blue: Winter-Range
What Time of Year?
Summer
What’s The Best Food for Scarlet Tanagers?
Suet, mealworms, oranges, raisins
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Scarlet Tanagers?
Fruit, suet or platform feeder
Other tips?
I haven’t been fortunate to have had a Scarlet Tanager visit my feeders. I’m told that you have the best shot at spotting one before or after storms in the late spring. Have your feeders stocked with a variety of suet and fruit. Good luck!
Song Sparrows
What Time of Year?
Year-round throughout Virginia.
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.
Tufted Titmice
What time of year?
Tufted Titmice are located year-round in Virginia.
What’s the Best Food for Titmice?
Sunflower (top choice), suet, peanuts, safflower seeds
What’s the Best Bird Feeder for Titmice?
Just about anything
White-Breasted Nuthatches
What Time of Year?
Year-round everywhere in Virginia.
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.