Safflower seed is a popular food for backyard birds. And the funny part is most people (myself included) find safflower useful not because of the birds it attracts, but for the creatures that DON’T eat safflower! (More on this below 🙂 )
Today, you will learn everything you need to know about safflower!
What is safflower seed and where does it come from?
What birds eat safflower seeds? And which ones don’t?
How to use at your bird feeding station?
Where to buy?
So what is safflower and where does it come from?
Safflower seed is harvested from the safflower plant (Carthamus tinctorius), which is an annual that resembles thistle and has beautiful orange flowers. The plant is grown not only for the seed but also for the oil content.
Once the safflower seed matures and harvested from the flower, it is ready to be fed to the birds! The seed is small, white, angular, and hard. For reference, they are a bit larger than a popcorn kernel and slightly smaller than black oil sunflower.
Even though the seeds are small, most birds crack open the hard shell to eat the meat inside. Some birds, like doves, swallow the whole safflower seed.
Something I really like about using safflower seed…
There is never a big mess of safflower shells to clean up, especially when compared to the massive piles of sunflower husks that accumulate under my feeders! Even though a white shell is left behind after the seed is cracked apart, they are tiny, and it just seems like they blow away, decompose, etc.
*Nutrition content: (Similar to black-oil sunflower)
Lastly, safflower has a nice supply of fat and protein, which provide the necessary energy and nutrition wild birds require.
- 38% fat
- 16% protein
- 34% carbohydrates
Related: Bird Seed 101: The 10 Best Types For Wild Birds
What birds eat safflower seeds?
The birds that will commonly eat safflower at your feeding station include:
- Cardinals, jays, chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, titmice, doves, finches (House, Purple), and House Sparrows.
Have you ever used safflower seed before in your backyard?
If not, I want to warn you that it may take a bit for your birds to get accustomed to this new food. Don’t panic if you put out a feeder full of safflower seed and it’s ignored at first.
For first time users, I think it’s best to mix it in with the foods you have been using or buy a birdseed blend that includes a bit of safflower along with other popular foods like sunflower and peanuts. A combination of 50% sunflower and 50% safflower is an excellent mix for attracting cardinals! Once your birds are acclimated and used to eating, then it’s OK to use straight safflower in a feeder.
Now let’s talk about the BEST feature of safflower!
Yes, many birds enjoy eating safflower seed, but this small white seed is most famous for the birds and animals that DON’T eat it. Specifically, three of the most annoying pest animals that come to your feeders don’t normally touch safflower, making some people call it a “miracle seed.”
Are you ready to have your mind blown?
Squirrels, grackles, & starlings don’t eat safflower!
Can you believe it? There is a food that exists that your favorite songbirds will readily eat but the pesky squirrels and obnoxious blackbirds should not touch!
Safflower seed is an excellent food to use in a feeder that you can’t seem to stop squirrels from jumping on. Or if flocks of starlings are taking over your backyard, try using safflower seed for a few days to get them to leave.
I don’t know the exact reason why squirrels and blackbirds don’t like safflower. Supposedly it has a bitter taste, or maybe the shell is too hard for the small amount of food inside? Regardless, give it a try and see if it works!
How to use safflower at your bird feeding station?
In my backyard, I am almost always using safflower seed in one form or another. To view my current set up, check out the LIVE stream below of my bird feeding station: Can you spot any safflower?
In general, there are three ways to use safflower:
1. In a bird seed mix.
The most popular way to use safflower seed is part of a general bird seed mix. It’s common for safflower to be mixed with sunflower, peanuts, millet, and/or corn.
To help save a bit of money, I generally buy my bird seed in bulk then make my own mixes. My favorite homemade blend is black-oil sunflower, safflower, and shelled peanuts.
2. By itself.
You can purchase individual bags of safflower seed for your birds. Typically you can find ones with weight ranges between 5 – 20 lbs.
Individual safflower is used in the same types of bird feeders you put your general bird seed mixes, such as hoppers, tubes, and trays.
Generally, I include safflower seed as part of my general bird seed mix that I put in my hopper or tray feeders. The only times I use just safflower seed is if I have a blackbird problem and need to change my foods to discourage them.
3. In a seed cylinder.
Lastly, it’s possible to buy safflower seed cylinders. I love the concept of seed cylinders, but personally, the birds in my backyard never seem to enjoy eating them as much as regular, loose bird food.
Where to buy?
There are two places you can purchase safflower; either going to a local store or buying online.
Where you ultimately decide to buy comes down to answering the following question?
Do you value the lowest prices or want convenience?
1. Buying local = lowest price.
It’s the least expensive to buy safflower (or any bird food) at a local retailer. When comparing the cost of purchasing online, there is really no comparison because of the high cost of shipping heavy bags of bird seed.
The types of stores that typically sell safflower include home improvement, pet, feed, and specialty bird food stores.
2. Buying online = most convenient.
I have purchased safflower seed online from both Amazon and Duncraft.com.
*Compare online safflower prices*
View Price on Amazon View Price on Duncraft
As with buying most things online, it’s easy, fast, and convenient.
But as of this writing, buying bird food online is much more costly than purchasing from a local store. There are times it’s 2-3x more expensive to buy the SAME stuff online. I even wrote an article about this topic:
I keep running experiments and tests and am continually looking to find somewhere online to buy birdseed affordably, but I have not seen a website that is less expensive than getting in your car and going to a local business. But with that being said, I value convenience and love my 2-day FREE shipping from Amazon. 🙂
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Safflower seed is a great food to feed your birds. It’s healthy, inexpensive, and attracts a wide array of songbirds. I also like the fact that the shells create little mess because the seed is relatively small. And many birds (like doves) swallow it whole.
But my favorite feature of safflower will always be the fact that squirrels and blackbirds DO NOT eat it. How such a wonderful seed evolved is beyond me, but using safflower is an effective way to solve two of the most common problems backyard birders face.
Whether you decide to include safflower seed as part of a bird seed mix or you decide to buy safflower in bulk, I think you are making a great decision including it at your bird feeding station!
Here on Long Island, the squirrels are DESTROYING the safflower blocks I put out 🙁
Seems like a cool idea- we have so many of those fake ravens from our Halloween decorations… I’ll have to try that!! 🙂
We switched to safflower seeds in one platform feeder a couple of weeks ago, and a couple of days ago the birds finally started to visit that feeder. Before that, only a couple of chickadees came. I’ve only seen one squirrel so far, and he only foraged around for a little while (looking for the sunflower seeds that used to be in that feeder I suspect) and then he left. Note that squirrels used to be constant pests in all of the platform feeders, and that we live in Wisconsin. Until reading Scott’s article, I was not aware of the relatively small mess created by the Safflower seeds compared to Sunflower, and that is a big plus. Until today I didn’t know that Doves would eat them, but I just saw 2 doves in that platform enjoying their new food, which is another bonus to me. Cardinals, Finches and Chickadees are frequent visitors, and that is what I was hoping for. So far, so good !! I’ll report back here if the squirrels suddenly take a liking, as we can have harsh winters here. That’s a really nice live feeder cam setup that you provide Scott ! Thanks.
My chippers love my safflower too. I did find a trick I think though that worked to deter squirrels and chippers that like to crawl up the pole to the feeder. I bought one of those black raven birds at a craft shop and wrapped the legs of it around the pole so it looks like a bird is perched on the pole halfway up. Since I have done that, the squirrels and the chippers have not touched the feeder and the songbirds still visit. I don’t know, maybe worth a try? 🙂
I enjoyed your article. The only thing is I was looking for the best way to store safflower seed. I have noticed little moths inside the original bag at times and I have even seen moths in my plastic, durable container with a twist top. How can I prevent these moths from appearing?
I’ve found that if just plain suet, no seeds in it, is used the House Sparrows won’t go for it.
I too have squirrels and grackles that just eat it up… bummer
My squirrels gobble up safflower, unfortunately. So let’s cut out the “squirrels don’t like safflower” baloney.
I got the desired result by switching to safflower totally. More cardinals and varieties, less squirrels and blackbirds. My question is do you mix black seed with the safflower in winter (I live in Ohio) or maintain?
My squirrels and neighbors love safflower seed, hot pepper suet snd hot pepper seeds…after years of avoiding them. So disappointed. So change your article to be more factual saying “most squirrels won’t eat it.”
Sad to report but here in Ann Arbor MI chipmunks love safflower seed. They return again and again to pack their cheeks and I assume to store it in their burrow. Until the feeder is empty!
I will never use this since house sparrows like it. They are terrible birds and I’ve seen them try to destroy and take over a bluebird box. No wonder other birds run them off. I do too!
Today I filled my bird feeder with only safflower seeds and my regulars would come, put it on their mouth and spit it out! So now I mixed my old feed with the safflower seeds and the birds are returning to eat. It looks like they had a hard time with the safflower seeds. The squirrel on the other hand, took one bite and jumped off the feeder! I’m hoping that my regulars get used to the safflower seeds so I can eventually use only that. Time will tell!
Hey Roseanne! Yes, I agree with your assessment, the birds need a bit of time to get used to safflower. They definitely prefer sunflower (but so do the squirrels!)
Great article! I have a feeder with safflower seed and enjoy the variety of birds attracted to this feeder. I also have a suet feeder and a feeder with a cylinder type of feed which both contain every seed except safflower. Unfortunately, the Starlings love these feeders as much as the Woodpeckers and other birds. I plan to switch to safflower seed for several days to see if the Starlings find a new home. I love your Live Cams, and tonight I saw a raccoon take an interest in the feeders you have on the ground for the squirrels.
Thanks! Have you seen the skunks and opossums yet on the cams?