I never had problem with birds eating these seeds, bakemom. Could be because the tail is long and the seed is so tiny, birds have a tough time finding it.

I wait until the tail turns tan then just snip the entire head.
The trouble comes afterwards when you want to be nice to your traders and try to separate the tail from the seeds.
I would pull the tail then break it apart from the seeds.

I just googled bunny tail, and I must say that it is adorable! My 6 year old would go totally nutsoid if I had this is my garden!