Grass seeds feed birds in all seasons.
Natural grass seed is not only safe to feed wild birds, it comprises the main food source for some species. Homeowners planting new lawns often find it difficult to stop birds from eating their grass seeds. Seeds treated with Diazinon are poisonous to birds.
Primary Food Source
The indigo bunting, a small songbird, feeds mainly on grass seeds, as does the white-collared seedeater. The latter bird feeds its young exclusively on seeds.
Dietary Supplement
Some birds feed on grass seeds only seasonally, like the sharp-tailed grouse does in spring and summer. The scaled quail eats them only as a small portion of their diet.
Emergency Sustenance
When unexpected snows fall, birds that otherwise ignore grass seeds eat them as survival foods. John James Audubon noted five chestnut-sided warblers he shot had subsisted on grass seeds after a freak storm.
Winter
Grass seed distribution patterns affect the movements of some bird populations. Cassin's sparrow movements may be tied to the presence or absence of grass seed crops.
Breeding Birds
Song sparrows feast mainly on grass seeds during breeding season. Common ground-doves will raise second or third broods during one breeding season if heavy rains cause bumper crops of grass seeds.
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