What Birds Eat Millet Seed?

There are three types of millet (red, golden and white proso), but you generally find only white proso in store-bought seed mixes. Millet is a light-colored, little round seed. Some birds prefer the taste of white proso millet seed to the other millet varieties; as such, this seed will attract certain types of birds to your bird feeder.

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is found throughout the United States and the eastern seaboard of South America. The house sparrow is a full-bodied bird, thicker than other types of sparrows.They have round heads and short bills, and they are generally mostly gray with brown to orange wings. They also have brownish coloring around the eyes. The house sparrow is able to adapt to different climates, and it is often found in cities, nesting on telephone poles or traffic lights. You can also often find house sparrows scavenging for food in busy areas.

The painted bunting (Passerina ciris) is a brightly colored bird with feathers ranging in color from green to blue to red. It is a songbird that belongs to the cardinal family. The painted bunting is commonly found in woodland areas, especially near bushes and thickets. But it is often found in suburban areas as well. The painted bunting breeds mainly in Mexico and the southern United States, including in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. It has a gray beak and an orange or red circle around the eyes. This bird eats mainly insects or seeds, including millet.

The bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) belongs to the new world quail family. It is distinguished from other quail by its whistling call. This quail lives throughout the Caribbean, the United States and Mexico, and it eats mainly seeds and sometimes insects. The bobwhite quail is found in open spaces like prairies, agricultural fields, grasslands and along the sides of roads. This quail is mainly brown and gray with white spots down the center of its chest. The head is small and round with a very short beak.

The dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) has mainly grayish-black or brown feathers with a white underbelly. The beak on the dark-eyed junco is flesh- or orange-colored and comes to a prominent point. This junco is found throughout the forests of North America, mainly during the winter months. They are, however, found year-round in some western and Atlantic states, and they summer in Canada. These birds prefer open areas like fields, grasslands and yards.