Wagner's

Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower

Name: Wagner's 52023 Black Oil Sunflower Seed Wild Bird Food, 5-Pound Bag
Brand: Wagner's
Price: 10.98 USD
Availability: InStock

The one seed that draws the widest crowd.

85Bird

4.7· 2,849 Amazon ratings

$10.98

Price checked Oct 22, 2026

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Our verdict

HSReviewed by the BirdingPath team · Hilly Shore LabsUpdated Oct 22, 2026Price checked Oct 22, 2026

Synthesized from public specs and 635 buyer mentions. We research and analyze — we don't lab-test.

Get it if

Anyone starting out: black-oil sunflower draws the widest variety of birds with thin, easy-open shells.

Skip it if

You want a tidy patio; in-shell seed leaves hulls and mess below the feeder.

Seed type

Black-oil sunflower

Bag weight

5 lb

Live cost / lb

$2.20/lb

Best for

Widest variety of birds

Buyers praise

Bird Attraction
Quality
Pet Health

Buyers flag

Messiness
Ingredients
Value for money
Seed Quality
Bag Size

Compare it with the closest picks

Owner ratings come from Amazon; BirdingScore is our separate research score.

Compare two picks

Tap an unselected chip to compare it with your current right-hand pick — all 5 picks available.

Budget pickWagner's Black Oil Sunflower

4.7 Amazon· $10.98

RecommendedWagner's Greatest Variety

4.6 Amazon· $34.98

BirdingScore

85/100

80/100

Skip it if

You want a tidy patio; in-shell seed leaves hulls and mess below the feeder.

You want zero waste or fillerless seed; millet and shells draw mess and occasional complaints.

Seed type

Black-oil sunflower

Mixed blend (11 ingredients, 40% sunflower)

Bag weight

5 lb

16 lb

Live cost / lb

$2.20/lb

$2.19/lb

Best for

Widest variety of birds

Variety of songbirds

No-mess / hulled

No (in-shell)

No (shells/millet)

Form

Loose seed (whole)

Loose seed

Buy on Amazon· $10.98 Buy on Amazon· $34.98

Show buy options for all 5 picks

Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Buy on Amazon

Wagner's Greatest Variety Buy on Amazon

Wagner's Nyjer Seed Buy on Amazon

Kaytee Ultimate No Mess (9.75 lb)Buy on Amazon

Lyric Fine Tunes No Waste Buy on Amazon

Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower compared

Compare all 5 picks across 6 specs, scores & buyer sentiment · # is each pick’s rank in Bird Seed & Blends

Prices & Amazon ratings checked Oct 25, 2026

	This pick · #1 Budget pick Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower 4.7(2,849)	#2 Recommended Wagner's Greatest Variety 4.6(18,350)	#3 Recommended Wagner's Nyjer Seed 4.6(5,405)	#4 Recommended Kaytee Ultimate No Mess (9.75 lb) 4.4(7,603)	#5 Premium pick Lyric Fine Tunes No Waste 4.5(8,075)
Buy	Buy on Amazon $10.98	Buy on Amazon $34.98	Buy on Amazon $29.98	Buy on Amazon $21.99	Buy on Amazon $39.04
BirdingScoremethodology →	85/100 Owner satisfaction80 Field value95	80/100 Owner satisfaction82 Field value74	78/100 Owner satisfaction78 Field value79	71/100 Owner satisfaction67 Field value83	67/100 Owner satisfaction70 Field value60
Buyer sentiment	Bird AttractionQualityPet HealthMessinessIngredientsValue for money Buyers praise bird attraction, quality and pet health. Mixed feedback on value for money and seed quality. Some flag messiness and ingredients. Based on 635 buyer mentions	QualityBird PreferenceVarietyBird AttractionValue for moneySeed QualityBird Consumption Buyers praise quality, bird preference, variety and bird attraction. Mixed feedback on value for money and seed quality. Based on 5,007 buyer mentions	Bird AttractionSeed QualityFreshnessCleanlinessBird AbsorptionValue for moneyPurchase Experience Buyers praise bird attraction, seed quality, freshness and cleanliness. Mixed feedback on value for money and purchase experience. Some flag bird absorption. Based on 1,016 buyer mentions	Bird PreferenceQualityQuantityMessinessValue for money Buyers praise bird preference and quality. Mixed feedback on messiness and value for money. Some flag quantity. Based on 2,760 buyer mentions	Bird PreferenceWaste-FreeMessinessBird ConsumptionPiece SizeValue for money Buyers praise bird preference, waste-free and messiness. Mixed feedback on value for money and bird attraction. Some flag bird consumption and piece size. Based on 1,740 buyer mentions
Skip it if	You want a tidy patio; in-shell seed leaves hulls and mess below the feeder.	You want zero waste or fillerless seed; millet and shells draw mess and occasional complaints.	You want broad appeal; nyjer targets small finches and needs a proper fine-port feeder.	You're cost-focused or want fillers gone entirely; some buyers question value and residue.	You want budget bulk or broad appeal; it's pricey and some report low bird uptake.
Seed type	Black-oil sunflower	Mixed blend (11 ingredients, 40% sunflower)	Nyjer (thistle)	No-mess blend (hulled sunflower & peanuts)	No-waste nut & seed mix
Bag weight	5 lb	16 lb	10 lb	9.75 lb	15 lb
Live cost / lb	$2.20/lb	$2.19/lb	$3.00/lb	$2.26/lb	$2.60/lb
Best for	Widest variety of birds	Variety of songbirds	Finches & goldfinches	Cardinals, finches & songbirds	Small-beaked birds (finches, chickadees)
No-mess / hulled	No (in-shell)	No (shells/millet)	No (whole nyjer)	Shell-free; dropped food still needs cleanup	Edible ingredients; consumption and waste vary
Form	Loose seed (whole)	Loose seed	Loose seed (fine)	Loose seed	Loose seed