Feeding birds in winter can be rewarding and enjoyable in the midst of chilly weather. By understanding which birds are around in winter and what they need to eat. You can come up with your own recipes for winter bird treats. For most birds, theses often include seed mixes of black oil sunflower seed, hulled peanuts, niger seed, and white millet seed. More often, they spend winter nights roosting with other goldfinches in coniferous trees.