Feed the Birds Day first occurred in 1994 to encourage people to feed birds in winter. Celebrated in February as part of National Bird-Feeding Month, this day is celebrated during the coldest part of the year when the snow is thick and food scarce. February is also the last stretch of winter, which is when bird’s food reserves run low, and finding more becomes incredibly difficult. This is a dangerous time for birds because they need the extra calories that they get from food to keep themselves warm but don’t have the energy to go out looking for it. Most of the seeds they eat will be buried under the snow where they can’t get to it.

Feed the Birds Day is also a day celebrated to spread information about what birds eat so that they receive exactly the kind of food they need to survive. Rather than bread, which most people think is a good food source, birds need seed blends that are denser in calories and help them generate the energy they need to fly and stay warm. Nutrient-rich seeds include black-oil sunflower, nyjer (or thistle seed,) white proso millet, and sunflower chips. A seed to avoid is the red milo seed (sorghum,) which birds won’t even eat if blended with other seeds. Once birds learn that they can get a steady source of food, they will rely on it, so it’s important to stay consistent with the feeding. Besides food, people are also encouraged to set up heated bird watering stations so that birds have easy access to water in a safe space.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/feed-the-birds-day/