The safflower, although similar in look to the sunflower, is a whole white seed with the shell and is a relative of the thistle family. It has a high oil content and is attractive to Goldfinches and other finch species. It is also a good tonic food.

Safflower seeds are bitter in taste and some customers have used these to feed the birds without interference from squirrels because the taste is less attractive to them than other seeds.

Try them on their own to attract specific birds or add a few to regular whole seed mixes to find out who enjoy them.

If you have not tried Safflower before we would recommend testing a small bag first.

Q: Can these be used instead of sunflower hearts as they look very similar?
A: No, they are not a replacement for the sunflower seed. Despite looking similar, they are from different plants and the safflower seed has a white shell and seed inside.

Q: Can I mix these seeds with other mixes and sunflower seeds?
A: Safflower seeds should be used on their own or blended into 'whole seed' mixes only. As with any whole seed (a seed with a shell or husk), if you mix it with seed kernels (naked seeds), 'no mess' or songbird mixes there will be a lot of waste because the birds will simply reject to whole seed to get to the kernels.