Bird feeders are usually filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, mealworms, and other traditional bird foods. But sometimes you can also find suitable treats right in your kitchen.

So, what can birds eat from your kitchen? Several common foods, including apples, bananas, unsalted seeds, peanut butter, and raisins, can be offered to certain backyard birds as occasional treats.

The important thing is to prepare these foods appropriately and offer them in moderation. Here are six simple kitchen foods that may attract a variety of birds to your backyard.

1. Apples

Fresh apple can be a useful fruit treat for a variety of backyard birds.

Birds known to eat apples include:

Eastern Bluebird, Pine Grosbeak, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Scarlet Tanager, Cedar Waxwing, and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

How to Serve Apples to Birds

Cut the apple into manageable slices and remove the seeds before putting it outside.

Another option is to cut an apple in half and scoop out some of the fruit. The hollowed section can be used to hold sugar water, creating an additional food source that may attract birds such as hummingbirds.

A simple skewer or suitable feeder can also be used to keep apple pieces off the ground.

2. Bananas

Bananas are another easy fruit to prepare for backyard birds.

Birds that may eat bananas include:

Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Canada Jay, and Scarlet Tanager.

How to Serve Bananas to Birds

Remove the peel and cut the banana lengthwise in half.

Place the pieces in a clean feeder or another suitable feeding area where birds can reach them easily.

Because bananas are soft, it is best to offer small amounts rather than leaving large quantities outside for long periods.

3. Eggshells

Eggshells are a different kind of bird treat. Rather than serving as a conventional food, they can provide calcium, which is especially relevant to birds that are laying eggs.

A wide range of seed-eating birds may consume crushed eggshells, and species such as Purple Martins, Barn Swallows, and Tree Swallows may also use them.

How to Prepare Eggshells for Birds

Start with clean eggshells. Bake them at 250°F for about 15 minutes.

Once they have cooled, crush the shells into small pieces. You can place them in a separate shallow dish or mix them into birdseed.

The shells should be clean and free from leftover food before they are offered.

4. Melon, Pumpkin, and Squash Seeds

Don’t throw away all of the seeds left over from preparing melons, pumpkins, or squash.

Birds such as Northern Cardinals, Evening Grosbeaks, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Tufted Titmice may eat these seeds.

How to Prepare Seeds for Birds

Roast the seeds in the oven first, but keep them completely plain.

Do not add salt, sugar, spices, oil, or other seasonings.

After the seeds have cooled, offer them in a feeder or shallow dish.

Saving seeds from food you already have in the kitchen can be a simple way to make use of something that might otherwise become food waste.

5. Peanut Butter

Peanut butter can attract a surprisingly wide range of backyard birds.

Potential visitors include Black-capped Chickadees, Brown Creepers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Wood Thrushes, wrens, and woodpeckers.

How to Serve Peanut Butter to Birds

One easy method is to spread a small amount of peanut butter over a pine cone and then offer it in the yard.

You can also place peanut butter into a dried orange half left over from an oriole feeding setup.

Using a natural or reusable surface gives birds an easy place to cling while feeding.

When offering peanut butter, keep the amount modest and make sure the feeding surface is positioned where birds can safely access it.

6. Raisins

Raisins can be useful when you want to offer fruit to birds without putting out fresh fruit every time.

A variety of species are known to eat raisins, including:

Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, orioles, American Robin, Scarlet Tanager, Brown Thrasher, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Red-headed Woodpecker.

How to Prepare Raisins for Birds

Raisins can be quite dry and firm, so soaking them in warm water first can make them softer and easier for birds to eat.

After soaking, drain them and place a small amount in a suitable feeder or dish.

This is particularly useful when serving raisins to smaller birds that may have difficulty biting into very dry fruit.

What Kitchen Foods Can Birds Eat?

Different birds have different food preferences, so there is no single kitchen food that will attract every species.

The birds listed above are examples associated with these foods. The species visiting your yard will depend on where you live and what birds are present in your local habitat.

How to Offer Kitchen Foods Safely

Kitchen treats can complement a regular bird-feeding setup, but they do not need to replace traditional bird foods.

A few simple habits can make these treats easier for birds to use:

Keep Foods Plain

When preparing seeds, avoid salt and seasonings. Birds generally benefit most from foods prepared without unnecessary additives.

Cut Food Into Manageable Pieces

Fruit such as apples and bananas should be cut into pieces that birds can easily pick at.

Keep Feeding Areas Clean

Remove old fruit or other leftover foods before they become spoiled. Regularly cleaning dishes, trays, and feeding surfaces helps keep the feeding area in good condition.

Offer Small Amounts

Kitchen foods work well as occasional additions rather than the only food source in your backyard.

Traditional bird foods such as sunflower seed, suet, and other species-appropriate foods can remain the foundation of a broader feeding setup.

Make Your Backyard Feeding More Interesting

One advantage of occasional kitchen treats is that they can introduce different foods without requiring a completely new feeder setup.

For example, fruit can complement a seed feeder, peanut butter can be added to a pine cone, and pumpkin or squash seeds can be saved and roasted instead of discarded.

These small changes can also make backyard birdwatching more interesting because different food sources may appeal to different species.

Turn Everyday Food Into Backyard Birdwatching Opportunities

You don’t always need a specialty product to give backyard birds something extra to eat.

A few simple ingredients from the kitchen can provide occasional treats: apples for fruit-eating birds, bananas and raisins for other fruit lovers, plain roasted seeds for seed-eating species, eggshells as a calcium source, and peanut butter for birds that enjoy this rich food.

The key is simple preparation, appropriate portions, and clean feeding areas.

The next time you’re preparing fruit or saving seeds in the kitchen, consider whether some of it could become a small treat for the birds outside your window.