Putting sunflower seeds in a bird feeder is wonderful. Birds tend to love eating sunflower seeds and will often be attracted to them in the garden.
While this is true, you will want to focus on how birds eat sunflower seeds. To do this, start by asking, do birds eat sunflower seeds whole?
Birds do not eat sunflower seeds whole. Their beak moves left and right across the top of the shell to crack it open. Once the shell is empty, it’s discarded by the bird. It’s common to find these discarded shells near a bird feeder or birdcage.
The reason birds don’t eat sunflower seeds whole is that they don’t want to swallow the shell. It offers limited nutritional value and it’s not what they’re on the hunt for while wanting to eat.
This article will look at the reasons birds don’t eat sunflower seeds whole.
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Reasons Birds Don’t Eat Sunflower Seeds Whole
1. Can’t Digest Shells
The main reason birds don’t eat sunflower seeds whole has to do with their digestive systems. It’s not easy for a bird to munch on shells and eat everything in one bite.
Instead, they will try to use their mandible to crack open the shell. This can take a few tries but their strong beaks can pierce through the shell eventually.
The idea is to eat what is inside the sunflower seed rather than trying to swallow it whole. Birds don’t like eating sunflower seeds whole because they get lodged in their throat and can cause pain.
It’s not worth the hassle and that is why they try to dig into the seed first.
It can be associated with the idea of opening a peanut shell to get to the peanuts. You won’t eat the shell because it is not where you are going to find the most value.
Birds use the same logic when it comes to eating sunflower seeds.
Birds love sunflower seeds and have perfected the art of eating them in the wild. You will immediately notice them react to the seeds because they do enjoy a few from time to time when given the chance to do so.
This is why when the bird eats the sunflower seed, they will look to work on the shell. It is all about what is on the inside.
2. Limited Nutritional Value
The nutritional value is non-existent with the outer shell.
This means a bird that is eating the sunflower seed in one bite isn’t going to be retaining much value from the process. Instead, it is just going to increase the risk of having digestive trouble in the short and/or long term.
As a result, most birds don’t eat sunflower seed shells. They will avoid them at all costs and continue to use their beak until the shell opens.
The lack of nutritional value makes it a no-brainer for the average bird.
They want what is on the inside and that is where their focus is from the moment the seed is put in front of them.
3. No Taste
This is not the first thing a bird will think about but it does matter.
The idea is the sunflower seed shell is not going to have a pleasant taste. This is the part of the seed that is exposed to the environment and can also carry unwanted parasites/toxins depending on where it was.
Due to this, birds will immediately look to discard the shells once they work on them using their beaks.
The taste isn’t there and that is the one thing that would make the bird eat a sunflower seed whole. Since it doesn’t have that type of taste, it is generally avoided by birds.
Related Questions
1. Do Birds Eat Seeds Whole?
Birds don’t eat seeds whole. The only time a bird will eat the seed whole is if it’s in danger and/or doesn’t have the time to break into the shell. This is rare. In most cases, birds will work on the seed to get rid of the shell first.
2. Why Are Sunflower Seeds Bad For BIrds?
Sunflower seeds are not bad for birds. They are a common part of a bird’s diet. On the other hand, roasted sunflower seeds with extra salt are dangerous. These are processed seeds that are dangerous for birds to consume in large quantities.
Final Thoughts
Do birds eat sunflower seeds whole?
Birds do not eat sunflower seeds whole. They prefer to remove the shell using a left-to-right movement with their beaks. The goal is to quickly discard the shell and begin eating what’s on the inside.
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