Safflower seeds deter squirrels and bully birds, but many beloved songbirds will still come to your backyard bird feeders.
Which Birds Eat Safflower Seeds From Feeders?
Updated on Feb. 06, 2025
You’ve just filled your feeders, and before you make it back to the house, a flock of starlings or a couple of ravenous squirrels descend and devour your seed in no time flat. If that sounds familiar, one simple solution might be safflower seeds.
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Birds That Eat Safflower Seeds
Safflower seeds, which are extremely high in protein and fat, are slightly smaller than sunflower seeds. The hard white shell protects the meat, and has a somewhat bitter flavor. That’s why fewer birds like the seed. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, some of the bothersome bully birds out there—grackles, starlings and blackbirds—actively avoid safflower seeds. Field editor Ken Wellnitz of Davenport, Iowa, says, “I have had good luck using safflower in my yard. It attracts cardinals, finches, mourning doves and other songbirds. But starlings do not like it and they used to rule the feeder at times.”
Northern cardinals are known to be huge fans of safflower seeds. Tufted titmice, chickadees, house and purple finches, woodpeckers, and several kinds of grosbeaks also happily dine on this treat.
How to Serve Safflower Seed to Birds
But not every backyard birder has immediate success when offering safflower to local fliers. “If they are in a mix I put in my feeders, birds tend to eat around the seeds,” says field editor Connie Etter of Martinsville, Indiana.
Her experience is common. Safflower is rarely a bird’s first choice, so when it’s mixed with other foods, birds are likely to ignore it. Try putting out safflower seed on its own at first, with no alternatives available. And remember, patience is key. It may take a week or more for picky eaters to give it a try and adjust to the change.
Safflower is a larger seed, so it’s best to offer it in a platform feeder or hopper feeder with a tray. Birds often put on fun-to-watch displays, perching on feeders and cracking open the tough kernels with their bills. Sprinkle some seed on the ground for mourning doves and other ground feeders to find, too.
More birders are discovering the benefits of safflower seed, and it’s become easier to find at local retailers and online. Invest in a small bag at first to see how your backyard birds respond. Some birders never seem to have any luck with it, but others find that their favorite local fliers take to safflower readily—while squirrels, starlings and other pests steer clear of it. Problem solved!
What Is Safflower?
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a thistlelike annual with bright orange and yellow flowers that’s grown around the world to make cooking oils.
Safflower was originally cultivated for its colorful red dye, dating as far back as ancient Egypt. Synthetic dyes have replaced it, and safflower is now grown and harvested for the seeds’ oil and as food for animals.
Do Safflower Seeds Deter Squirrels?
If you’re looking for a seed that songbirds love but squirrels might steer clear of, try safflower.
Almost anyone with backyard bird feeders has had squirrel problems at one time or another. One hungry squirrel can clean out a feeder faster than you can say “black oil sunflower seed,” and that drives bird-lovers crazy. There are plenty of feeders out there that claim to be squirrel-proof or, perhaps more honestly, “squirrel-resistant.” But squirrels are creative acrobats and they love to eat sunflower seeds.
In my Florida yard, I’ve made the switch to safflower seed to deter squirrels. Safflower seed is slightly more expensive, but the squirrels in my neighborhood are completely uninterested in eating it.
“I see many birds eating safflower, but squirrels, those ‘rodents in designer duds,’ haven’t even approached the feeder!” says reader Pat Northington of Austin, Texas.
Now, I can’t promise this solution will work for everyone. Apparently squirrels in some areas think safflower seed is quite delicious, but for me it’s been very effective. Plenty of birds still enjoy eating safflower seed, and I save a lot of money by not needing to refill my feeders nearly as often.
If you’ve already tried other methods to deter squirrels from your bird feeders and haven’t had any luck, why not give a bag of safflower seed a try?
