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Feeders by bird
Different birds need different feeders. Heavy birds need ledges, clingers use ports and mesh, ground feeders need trays. Start with the bird you want.
- Feeder for cardinalsSafflower is the classic cardinal seed because grackles, starlings and many squirrels tend to leave it alone.
- Feeder for blue jaysWhole in-shell peanuts on a tray are the fastest way to bring jays in.
- Feeder for goldfinchesNyjer goes stale. Buy small bags and shake out clumped seed; goldfinches abandon feeders full of old nyjer.
- Feeder for house finchesIf you see a finch with swollen, crusty eyes, take feeders down and clean them for a week.
- Feeder for chickadeesChickadees are the bird most likely to use a window feeder and a nest box in the same yard.
- Feeder for titmiceShelled peanuts in a mesh feeder are a titmouse favourite.
- Feeder for nuthatchesA suet cage fixed to a tree trunk suits the way nuthatches forage.
- Feeder for woodpeckersIn hot weather switch from raw suet to no-melt suet dough; raw suet goes rancid and soft.
- Feeder for bluebirdsOffer mealworms in a small dish at the same time each morning and bluebirds learn the schedule within days.
- Feeder for wrensA brush pile near the feeder does more for wrens than any feeder.
- Feeder for oriolesPut oranges and jelly out before the first orioles are due; the first days after arrival decide whether they stay.
- Feeder for hummingbirdsMix 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. No red dye, no honey, no brown sugar.
- Feeder for mourning dovesA low tray feeder with drainage keeps millet dry and gives doves room.
- Feeder for juncosScatter white millet on a tray near cover; juncos rarely use hanging feeders.
- Feeder for sparrowsMillet also feeds non-native house sparrows. If they take over, switch the tray to safflower for a while.
- Feeder for towheesLeave leaf litter under shrubs near the feeder.
- Feeder for grosbeaksBlack oil sunflower in a large hopper is the reliable grosbeak offer.
- Feeder for robinsA heated bird bath in winter attracts more robins than any food.
- Feeder for mockingbirdsFruiting shrubs such as holly and pyracantha hold mockingbirds through winter.
- Feeder for pine siskinsSiskins are very prone to salmonella outbreaks at crowded feeders; clean nyjer feeders weekly in an irruption year.
- Feeder for purple finchesSunflower hearts in a tube bring purple finches in when house finches are thin on the ground.
- Feeder for redpollsRedpolls arrive with snow; keep nyjer fresh and dry.
- Keep starlings and grackles off feedersSwitch to safflower or nyjer, remove millet and cracked corn, and use caged or weight-activated feeders set to close under a grackle's weight.
- Feeder for red-bellied woodpeckersRed-bellied woodpeckers also visit oriole jelly feeders.
- Feeder for downy woodpeckersDownies also drink from hummingbird feeders occasionally.
- Feeder for cedar waxwingsPlant serviceberry, winterberry and juniper; a bird bath is the other reliable draw.
- Feeder for quailIn the Southwest, milo and millet scattered near brush bring Gambel's quail coveys.
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Researched guidance, not professional advice. Prices and availability change often; the buttons show the current listing. Figures come from published tables and manufacturer specifications, not hands-on trials.