Can Birds Eat Chia Seeds? What You Need to Know!

Last Updated on Jan 23 2023

Since chia seeds are healthy for people to eat, you may be wondering if you can feed them to your backyard birds. It’s perfectly fine to feed chia seeds to wild birds because these tiny seeds are non-toxic, safe, and beneficial for birds to eat.

What Are Chia Seeds?

The plant called Salvia hispanica from the mint family is what produces chia seeds. These tiny, oval-shaped seeds gained mainstream popularity decades ago as a healthy food source. Today, chia seeds are touted as a superfood due to their nutritional attributes. Many people incorporate them into their daily diets by eating them raw and preparing them in various dishes.

Benefits of Feeding Chia Seeds to Birds

Chia seeds contain loads of beneficial nutrients that can improve the diet of seed-eating birds. These seeds are high in many essential nutrients including:

As you can see, tiny chia seeds can pack a big punch. These small, black seeds are not only safe for wild birds to eat, but they’re also a tasty superfood that helps birds stay healthy and strong.

Wild Birds That Eat Chia Seeds

Several species of wild birds will gladly eat some chia seeds you place in your backyard feeder. Depending on where in the country you live, you can expect to see some of these birds come for the chia seeds you place outdoors:

How to Feed Chia Seeds to Wild Birds

It’s important to know that you don’t need to soak chia seeds in water before feeding them to wild birds because birds don’t have any problems digesting them.

To feed chia seeds to birds, simply mix a handful of the seeds into the bird food mixture you use. You can also buy a separate bird seed feeder for the chia seeds. If you choose this method, only fill the feeder with chia seeds once in a while so the birds won’t eat too many and get fat since chia seeds are high in saturated fat.

Another way to feed chia seeds to wild birds is to press some of the seeds into suet dough and then place the dough in a suet cage bird feeder.

A Typical Bird Diet

Most wild birds thrive on the typical avian diet consisting of creepy-crawlies like worms and insects. However, birds also routinely feast on various seeds, grains, berries, fruits, and nuts. Wild birds typically forage for these things during their waking hours, but it depends on the species and season.

While wild birds forage well on their own, they can benefit from eating bird feed and supplemental treats, like chia seeds, that you place in your backyard feeder. Offering the birds in your area some bird feed and treats is especially beneficial during the colder months when food is scarce.

In Conclusion

Wild birds can safely eat chia seeds because they’re non-toxic and contain beneficial nutrients and essential vitamins. Chia seeds should be fed in moderation because too much of them causes birds to gain weight. Simply mix some chia seeds in with the bird food you place in your backyard feeder and watch your feathered friends enjoy the healthy treat!

Featured Image Credit: everydayplus, Shutterstock