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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 cardinals Safflower is the classic cardinal seed because grackles, starlings and many squirrels tend to leave it alone.
- Feeder for blue jays Whole in-shell peanuts on a tray are the fastest way to bring jays in.
- Feeder for goldfinches Nyjer goes stale. Buy small bags and shake out clumped seed; goldfinches abandon feeders full of old nyjer.
- Feeder for house finches If you see a finch with swollen, crusty eyes, take feeders down and clean them for a week.
- Feeder for chickadees Chickadees are the bird most likely to use a window feeder and a nest box in the same yard.
- Feeder for titmice Shelled peanuts in a mesh feeder are a titmouse favourite.
- Feeder for nuthatches A suet cage fixed to a tree trunk suits the way nuthatches forage.
- Feeder for woodpeckers In hot weather switch from raw suet to no-melt suet dough; raw suet goes rancid and soft.
- Feeder for bluebirds Offer mealworms in a small dish at the same time each morning and bluebirds learn the schedule within days.
- Feeder for wrens A brush pile near the feeder does more for wrens than any feeder.
- Feeder for orioles Put oranges and jelly out before the first orioles are due; the first days after arrival decide whether they stay.
- Feeder for hummingbirds Mix 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. No red dye, no honey, no brown sugar.
- Feeder for mourning doves A low tray feeder with drainage keeps millet dry and gives doves room.
- Feeder for juncos Scatter white millet on a tray near cover; juncos rarely use hanging feeders.
- Feeder for sparrows Millet also feeds non-native house sparrows. If they take over, switch the tray to safflower for a while.
- Feeder for towhees Leave leaf litter under shrubs near the feeder.
- Feeder for grosbeaks Black oil sunflower in a large hopper is the reliable grosbeak offer.
- Feeder for robins A heated bird bath in winter attracts more robins than any food.
- Feeder for mockingbirds Fruiting shrubs such as holly and pyracantha hold mockingbirds through winter.
- Feeder for pine siskins Siskins are very prone to salmonella outbreaks at crowded feeders; clean nyjer feeders weekly in an irruption year.
- Feeder for purple finches Sunflower hearts in a tube bring purple finches in when house finches are thin on the ground.
- Feeder for redpolls Redpolls arrive with snow; keep nyjer fresh and dry.
- Keep starlings and grackles off feeders Switch 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 woodpeckers Red-bellied woodpeckers also visit oriole jelly feeders.
- Feeder for downy woodpeckers Downies also drink from hummingbird feeders occasionally.
- Feeder for cedar waxwings Plant serviceberry, winterberry and juniper; a bird bath is the other reliable draw.
- Feeder for quail In the Southwest, milo and millet scattered near brush bring Gambel's quail coveys.
Popular picks
Budget ranges are a guide; the button shows the current price on Amazon.
Gift guideShopping for a bird lover? See the Bird Feeder Holiday Gift Guide 2026 for picks by budget, from the big gift to stocking stuffers.
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.
