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Types Of Bird Feeders

By admin on August 22nd, 2011

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If you are new to the bird feeding community you will benefit from this information. Feeding wild birds is a growing hobby in the United States and for good reason. What better way to witness wild life than right in your backyard with the help of bird feeders. There are many different types of bird feeders, however, you will learn about three here: hopper feeders, suet feeders, and cage or squirrel proof bird feeders.

Hopper Feeders

Hopper bird feeders, also called House Feeders, have a platform upon which walls and a roof are built, forming a hopper. A gazebo feeder is considered a hopper feeder. Hopper bird feeders are popular because they are practical and functional as well as can be decorative. These bird feeders are efficient to clean and maintain. With hopper bird feeders, it is important to do regularly cleaning. The hopper is built to protect seed against the elements, however, few hopper feeders do a good job of protecting seed from rain, and the seed can become moldy.Birds can eat from at least two sides if not all sides of a hopper bird feeder, which is why it is so accessible to a large variety of birds. These bird feeders are versatile in a way that they can be set up as hanging bird feeders or be pole mounted. A good choice of bird food for hopper bird feeders is mixed wild bird seed or black oil sunflower seed. A disadvantage to this bird feeder is that some wild birds will pick through the seed looking for only their favorite and leave the bird feeder a mess and wasted bird seed below. Wild birds that are mostly attracted to hopper bird feeders are: chickadees, nuthatches, red bellied woodpeckers, mourning doves, cardinals, finches, jays, sparrows and yes the 'most of the time' unwanted starlings and blackbirds.

Suet Feeders

Suet bird feeders are special feeders that hold a nutrient rich bird food called suet. Suet is packed with energy-rich nutrition because of its high fat content. Suet can be store bought or homemade. This special bird food keeps birds warm during cold temperatures which makes it the perfect bird food for winter weather. If used in the winter, place the bird feeder in the shade. Most suet bird feeders have a wire or plastic cage surrounding the suet to keep it in place and come in many shapes and sizes. Suet bird feeders will attract birds that will not come to other types of feeders. You may start to have problems with starlings or blackbirds at your suet bird feeder eating all the suet in a very short period of time. If this does happen try using pure suet with nothing mixed into it or use suet only mixed with nyjer and/or safflower seed. An upside-down suet bird feeder where only clinging birds are able to attach to it may work as well. As always make sure to keep this type of feeder clean. Suet bird feeders can attract a variety of woodpeckers, the northern flicker, chickadees, red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatch, purple finch and blue jays, to name a few.

Cage/Squirrel Proof Feeders

Cage and squirrel proof bird feeders may be right up your alley if you have squirrels in your yard. Believe it or not squirrels can become a problem if you do not have a bird feeder that is designed to keep squirrels out. Squirrels can pose a couple problems including eating all the bird seed and damaging your bird feeders. Most squirrel proof bird feeders are heavy duty yet provide little access for squirrels to get to the seed. Squirrel proof bird feeders keep squirrels out by making any perch area weight sensitive in the effect that when the squirrel attempts to jump on it they will drop to the ground. Cage feeders allow only birds to have access to the bird food leaving the squirrels at bay.

With all the different types of bird feeders out there to choose from, take this information with you when making a decision. Hopper feeders, suet feeders and cage/squirrel proof bird feeders provide a great selection to choose from. Start enjoying the wild life in your backyard using wild bird feeders.

9 Responses to “Types Of Bird Feeders”

1. Miss Libby says:

   August 22, 2011 at 8:03 am

   Baltimore Orioles, recently we have had one eating from the humming bird feeders?
   I live in Ohio and was startled last Thursday by this bright flash of orange outside the windows. Ive never seen one of the birds. I took a picture of him and searched on line to find out what type of bird he was. Now he is at the humming bird feeders several times a day. Do they normally like nectar?
2. Susan says:

   August 22, 2011 at 8:01 pm

   are there bird feeders made that do not scatter seed?
   I need to find a type of bird feeder that the birds cannot scatter any seeds, my landlord will allow me to put up bird feeders, but my old ones were attracting rats & mice, do they make any at all that the seeds cannot be scattered?
3. GypsyNana says:

   August 23, 2011 at 7:22 am

   what type of bird feeder should i use to keep dove food off the ground?
   i have been feeding mourning doves for a year and the local rats and mice have discovered the sunflower seeds and are coming around in larger and larger numbers. doves are ground feeders, but what can i do?
4. Betty Humpter says:

   August 25, 2011 at 8:35 pm

   What type of bird feeder should I get?
   I live in Ottawa. Which types of birds should I be attracting to my yard with a bird feeder? I see a lot of finches but if I try to attract cardinals and blue jays will I be wasting my money on seeds for them?
5. Suzi Q says:

   August 26, 2011 at 4:34 am

   Yes, Orioles do drink nectar, just like hummingbirds. The only difference between them is the size and color of the feeders. Hummingbird feeders are small and red, while Oriole feeders are larger with perches, and colored orange.

   Along with nectar, they also eat insects and berries, fruit and jellies – and especially love orange halves and grape jelly.
6. atg28 says:

   August 26, 2011 at 12:41 pm

   What is the best type of bird feeder for Blue Jays & Cardinals?
   My father loves feeding birds and has several bird feeders. We seem to attract enough of all types of birds, but the larger birds (Blue Jays & Cardinals) have a tough time feeding as compared to finches and other smaller ones. We provide a wide-variety mix of bird feed and black oil sunflowers.

   Any suggestions would be appreciated.
7. dances with unicorns says:

   August 29, 2011 at 1:59 pm

   Blue jays are seldom attracted to seed, as their primary diet is bugs, but you might try a suet feeder to attract them. They can’t use the tail-paddle type feeder that a woodpecker can use; you’ll need to put the blocks next to something they can perch on. Cardinals, on the other hand, LOVE sunflower seed, and will come to just about any kind of feeder that has them. I prefer the hopper-type feeders simply because you can put lots of seed in them. Many blue jays like peanuts – it seems to depend on their mood; I managed to accustom one to me to the point that he would take them from my hand, although he’d never *quite* sit on my finger. Be sure not to feed peanuts during breeding season, however; adults can handle them with no problem, but they have a bad way of stuffing the babies’ crops full with these, and the young blue jays have a VERY tough time digesting them.

   Be sure to put water out for all the birds; while they won’t all eat seed or suet, they all need water, and you might well be the only place in the neighborhood that has water avilable to them. If you can find a drip nozzle or sprayer, that will help attract them, as they will come to the sound of the running water. I even got the occasional hawk at my birdbath when I lived in Colorado!

   Whatever kind of feeder you choose to use, be sure to keep it clean. Here in western Washington state, we’re having a bit of a problem with birds dying of salmonella, so we are being encouraged to use the tube-type feeders for finches and similar small birds. Your feeders should be cleaned once a week with a solution of bleach and water so that there’s less chance of disease transmission from sick birds to healthy ones.

   Enjoy
8. Barbie L. says:

   August 30, 2011 at 4:01 pm

   Changing the type of feeder will likely not change the mouse and rat problem because you will still have seeds that spill to the ground regardless of what type of feeder you use. If you just want to get the birds up off the ground you could try to use a large platform type feeder which is more or less like a square board with a rim all the way around it. the problem is that birds that are accustom to feeding on the ground will still go to the ground either at your house or someone else’s. It is almost impossible to bribe a ground feeding bird into a behavior which is not natural to them.

   A different option for bird feed would be to use a seed like hulled sunflower where there is less mess falling to the ground because every bit of the seed is eaten. That could help with the mess that is accumulating on the ground, attracting the rodents, but you will most likely notice that they are still hanging around. Quitting the feeding practice for a few months could cut the rodent population down (for awhile)also but don’t stop feeding in months when birds have trouble finding food (such as winter)as you will be cutting off a food source that they have been depending on.
9. quail says:

   August 30, 2011 at 6:49 pm

   You will be able to attract the finches, but should know that the thistle (sometimes called Nyjer) takes a special feeder because the seed is so small. They are either tube feeders with a metal mesh small enough so that the seed does not fall out or what is called a thistle sock. This is made of a special type of material that will allow the finches to peck through the material but will still keep the small seed in. If squirrels are a problem you will want to go with a solid metal feeder rather than the sock.

   Black oil sunflower will attract cardinals and blue jays, but if you are just starting out I would recommend a mixed wild bird seed with a high percentage of sunflower in the mix. This will attract more birds and sometimes just having birds in your yard will make your yard more appealing to the species you want. I know that both species will come to a hopper or tube feeder and if squirrels are a problem I would recommend that type over a platform feeder.

   Please place your feeders far enough away from anything a cat can hide in, but give the birds some place to hide if they feel threatened. You can get more information about this at my hint and tips page.

   Remember the three things that will attract birds to your yard are food, water and shelter.