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Glite Dictionary
bird feed

bird feed

1 1.4
Food for birds, usually a mix of seeds and grains
  • noun
  • /bɜrd fid/
: comida para aves
  • He enjoys watching the colorful birds that visit his backyard, thanks to the bird feed he puts out each day.

Examples

  • Buying bird feed in bulk is more cost-effective if you have many feeders in your garden.

  • She refilled the feeder with fresh bird feed every morning to attract songbirds.

  • The pet store offers a wide selection of bird feed for different species.

  • I need to buy some bird feed.

  • The store sells various types of bird feed.

  • Every morning, she fills the bird feeder with bird feed to attract different species of birds.

  • After a long winter, we finally replenished the garden with fresh bird feed for the nesting birds.

Synonyms

birdseed
vsbird feed
7 1.3

A mix of seeds given to birds to eat

is a broader food mixture that can include prepared items not just seeds
bird food
vsbird feed
1 1.0

Food made or mixed for birds, often seeds and grains

is mainly food provided outdoors for wild or kept animals instead of only prepared mixes

How Attractive

bird feed
1 1.4
scraps
26 1.0

Surface Forms

bird feed singular
bird feeds plural

Morphology

bird + feed

The meaning 'food for birds' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'bird' (the animal) + 'feed' (food for animals); a B1 learner who knows both senses will readily infer this compound noun. This noun–noun compounding pattern and the use of 'feed' for animal food are common cross-linguistically, so the phrase is immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

Bird feed is a simple compound of bird and feed, where 'feed' means food for animals, so it names the food you give to birds. Picture filling a small feeder with seeds to attract robins and sparrows, and that image shows why bird feed means 'food provided to birds'.