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5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

Midwest birds have in common! Debra Gail Fine Art Photography Prints - Longhorn Wall Art - Western Decor - Rustic Bison

Here are 5 Midwest birds to get to know!

Spring is an exciting time for those of us who enjoy bird watching. Additionally, some of the world’s prettiest birds are right here among us in the Midwest and Great Plains areas! You won’t believe what these 5 Midwest birds have in common! Debra Gail Fine Art Photography Prints – Longhorn Wall Art – Western Decor – Rustic Bison

There is a simple strategy for attracting these five beautiful birds to your backyard! Read on for more about the identification and eating habits of these five beautiful birds.

#1 – Woodpeckers

The Downey Woodpecker is stunning with its red head and black and white feathers

Woodpeckers are just a strikingly beautiful bird. Pure and simple. And a top favorite in the list of 5 Midwest birds to get to know.

The Woodpecker is a typical bird to find in the Midwest backyard as they flourish well in urban environments. 

I like to put out suet and watch them line up! Additionally, they eat safflower seeds!

Furthermore, we have several types of Woodpeckers that frequent our backyard, including the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Pileated Woodpecker.

5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

#2 – Carolina Wren – My Favorite

5 midwest birds - carolina wren
Note the white band above the eye and the decurved bill

This sweet little bird, the Carolina Wren, often nests very close to homes.

They may nest in a planter in a garden shed or a hanging basket of petunias. If you place a nest box in a quiet area of your backyard, you may find a nesting pair there next spring. 

The Carolina Wren is one of my favorite birds. These tiny creatures can sing loud! And when we’re on the patio, they will do a low and loud fly-by, as if to say “hello.” I just love being around these little birds!

Carolina Wrens love to feast on dried mealworms. We have a bright yellow trough feeder that they love to visit. They will also eat from suet-filled feeders. Furthermore, they love safflower seed chips!

5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

#3 – Northern Cardinal

debra gail photography cardinal
He’s showing off

The Northern Cardinal is a bird that we have year-round and another favorite of these five birds in the Midwest.

The brilliant red feathers of the Northern Cardinal makes them the most-watched bird and often the reason people become interested in bird watching. They move quickly, and in the spring, we often notice the male cardinals calling attention to themselves when there are other males in the area.

Their favorite food seems to be safflower seeds. They will check out other feeders, but always return to the ones with safflower seed.

A splendid thing about safflower seed is that Blue Jays and squirrels don’t bother with it! 

5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

#4 – Tufted Titmouse

5 midwest birds - tufted titmouse
With a black patch above the bill and gray feathers, the peach-colored wash down the flank makes this a beautiful bird

This small cutie is a fast bird and not easy to photograph at the feeder.

But if you want to photograph a Tufted Titmouse, you’ll need to set your shutter speed for around 1600. That’s just one photography tip! I have lots more!

The Tufted Titmouse likes to eat insects, berries, and nuts. We have a sunflower seed mix in this feeder that they seem to love! They also frequently feed at the safflower feeders.

The Tufted Titmice are commonly found across most of the central and eastern half of the United States. And for my friends in Canada, Tufted Titmice are rare species in Canada and found primarily in the southern Ontario Carolinian forests.

#5 – House Finch

5 midwest birds - house finches
My primary safflower feeder with sweet little House Finch families

House Finches are common in our area, but this doesn’t make them a common sight to watch! The social factor of these House Finches makes them one of the favorites of the 5 Midwest birds to get to know!

Other house finches always surround this highly social bird. And it seems that they’re at the feeders almost always! Specifically, the house finch spends a lot of time at the safflower seed feeder.

5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

One seed type will bring many beautiful songbirds to your backyard.

Safflower Seed Wins!

It’s not just these five birds that love safflower seeds, but also Chickadees, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, Doves, Purple Finches, House Sparrows, and more.

Well, there you have it!

5 Midwest birds to get to know!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!

While the grape jelly is a big hit with several birds in the Midwest, safflower seeds are also popular! Buying and supplying just one type of birdseed is a simple strategy for attracting these five beautiful birds to your backyard! Put safflower seeds in your feeders, and you’ll attract these songbirds and more.

The fascinating aspect of safflower seed in the bird feeders is that “bully birds” like the Blue Jays do not eat it.

Bird Food Tips of the 5 Midwest Birds to Get to Know

Here is a complete list of what birds in our backyard love to eat: 

Safflower seed

Grapes

Grape Jelly

Blueberries

Orange slices

Suet

Peanuts

Millet

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seed Chips

Dried Mealworms

For more on birds and an excellent bird ID app, check out Merlin.

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