Best Bird Feeder Buying Guide
If you’ve already decided to add a bird feeder in your yard or even attach one to your window, you’ll find that you have plenty of options to choose from. While choosing the right bird feeding system is crucial, understanding the different types of food these Mother Nature’s creatures feed on is equally important. This will help you make better decisions about the best bird feeding system for your home.
Why buy a bird feeder?
There is really no reason to buy a bird feeder other than to contribute to the long term wellbeing and health of birds in the wild. Being in the wild can equate to being free. But this also means that you are exposed to a lot of danger from other birds and animals higher up the food chain. Mostly, human activities have made the food source of wild birds even more dangerous, as chemicals are typically used in much of the food that wild birds consume. There is stiff competition in the open air. Squirrels, bears, deer and other animals will also forage for the same food that birds live on. Providing these wild feathered creatures with high quality food that only they have access to, underlines the importance of providing bird feeders in certain areas of our gardens.
Types of bird feeders
If you look at the market today, you would be greeted with a dizzying array of different types of bird feeders. The point is that each of these species is specifically intended to provide feed to birds that exhibit a particular feeding behavior. For example, if you want to attract ground-dwelling birdlife, a floor-standing bird feeder or one with a low bowl is suitable. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of bird feeders.
A platform feeder is perfect for pigeons, grosbeaks, sparrows, starlings, jays, doves, blackbirds and juncos. These offer no protection against snow, rain and even bird droppings. The best platforms are those with adequate drainage at the bottom. The problem with these types of feeders is that the seed is an open invitation to almost every other creature that loves seeds.
Also known as funnels, these are attractive to finches, cardinals, grosbeaks, chickadees, jays, buntings, sparrows, titmice and other forage birds. Unfortunately, these are also magnets for squirrels. You need a squirrel shot to keep these out. The seeds in these types of feeders can last for a few days, so you don’t need to replace them every now and then.
These are excellent for viewing birds up close and personal. These can be easily mounted on almost any non-porous surface, but can preferably be installed against glass windows so that the birds can be viewed freely while feeding. These are easily accessible and also easy to clean, and have become a favorite of chickadees, finches and titmice.
As the name implies, tube feeders are hollow cylindrical tubes that can help protect and secure the seeds inside from the weather and from foraging creatures like squirrels. These are some of the best bird feeders as they have feeding ports. It also comes with weight-activated locking mechanisms to keep out unwanted bird species – or other animals that are heavier than the designed weight of the tension spring. You may find some tube feeders in our guide on the best squirrel proof bird feeders.
These are magnets for sparrows, titmice, finches, titmice and grosbeaks. Heavier birds such as jays and grackles will not usually feed on such systems. The only downside to this type of bird feeding system is that seeds tend to collect on the bottom, just below the feed port line. This can become the perfect breeding ground for micro-organisms. It is therefore important to empty the tube feed before changing the food.
These are primarily designed for American Goldfinches, Redpolls and Pine siskins as they are known to be particularly fond of thistles or Nyjer seeds. These come in two forms: thistle socks and tube feeders.
This type of bird feeding system is very simple, as simple as a platform or tray feeder. These are usually made of mesh. In some cases, a mesh onion bag is sufficient. These are nailed to a trunk, hung or even mounted on a hopper feeder. These are magnets for woodpeckers, starlings, titmice, nuthatches, jays and tits.
Which foods attract which birds?
One of the most crucial aspects of feed birds is knowing which food will naturally attract which birds. Unlike other pets that can live on a more general type of food, birds require different types of food depending on their unique characteristics, especially their size. You just can’t expect a tiny little bird to be munching on a corn kernel, right? So, which food will attract which birds? Let’s find out.
These remain the favorite of a large number of small and large birds. Males generally like fruits because certain flavonoids found in fruits help enhance their colors, a natural trait used in courtship displays. Robins, parakeets, chlorophenols, tanagers, waxwings, and hornbills are just a few of the many bird species that love fruit.
The hummingbird is best known for its love of nectar. Other birds that thrive on this succulent treat include the bananaquit, sunbird, myzomela, flowerpiecer, thrasher, and sickle beak.
A large number of birds feast on insects as their main source of protein. They just can’t get this by eating fruit and drinking nectar. They need protein to build their muscles to flap their wings too. Woodpeckers, kestrels, swallows, kingfishers, cuckoos, drongos, and sparrows are just some of the bird species that like to feast on insects.
Not all birds eat worms, but there are certainly some who treat these squiggly creatures as delicacies. The American robin and the black-bellied plover are known to have a predisposition to earthworms. The same goes for the black-tailed godwit, the short-beaked dowitcher, and the killdeer, just to name a few.
Long before the invention of the fishing sonar, inshore fishermen relied on birds to determine where the schools of fish are, so they could drop their net and land a hefty bounty. Birds have been known to skim the water’s surface, steal fish from nets, or even pierce the fish with their beaks. Most have developed an innate talent for scuba diving and surface diving to hunt fish. The point is that the shape of their beaks ultimately determines whether they are specially adapted for hunting deep-sea animals or not. The African osprey, American bear, anhinga, Atlantic puffin, bald eagle, common tern, cormorant, osprey and gulls are some of the bird species that have developed their skill for hunting fish.
It seems that frogs and other amphibians are quite a delight for the African pygmy kingfisher, the black-crowned night heron, the blacksmith lapwing and the greenleg. Other birds are known to have a natural tendency to devour frogs and other amphibians.
Have you seen birds hunting reptiles? While we’re not talking about crocodiles and alligators here, there are birds that love smaller reptiles. They include the black vulture, crested caracara, ferruginous pygmy owl, great blue heron, and the greater roadrunner, just to name a few.
There are birds that like nothing more than to feed on other birds, usually those lower in the food chain. Examples include the falcons, hawks, African finfoot, American kestrel and the cattle egret.
Some bird species such as the barn owl prefer live, kicking mammals as their dinner favorite. Aside from owls, other mammal-eating birds include the buzzard, eastern screech owl, northern harrier, and red-billed hornbill.
These birds like to feed on carcasses. Examples include the American crow, black vulture, common crow, raven and golden eagle.
Did you know that eggs are an excellent food source for our bird friends? It doesn’t really matter what kind of egg it is, but many birds love to eat eggs. Examples of these birds include the American bear, the Boat-tailed grackle, the Hood spotingbird, the laughing gull, and the Laysan finch, to name a few.
The following are what birds will normally feed in the wild. But of course you can’t expect to put the carcass in your food bowl. The only foods you can put in these gadgets are seeds, also called bird seeds. That’s why we decided to make a separate list of which seeds will attract which birds.
You can say that sunflower seeds are the best all-round food for almost any type of bird. Unfortunately, squirrels also love sunflower seeds. As such, your choice of bird feeder should ensure that these creatures do not have access to the feed.
This is a favorite of cardinals, as well as doves, chickadees, native sparrows and grosbeaks. They are quite difficult to crack and most house sparrows, squirrels and starlings do not like them.
These are the favorites of little finches.
Quail, pigeons, cardinals, American sparrows, towhees and juncos. These are also the favorites of house sparrows and cowbirds. If you decide to use millet, be sure to use low trays.
Grouse, quail, cardinals, crows, jays, pigeons, pheasants, turkeys, ducks, cranes, ravens and grosbeaks. Unfortunately, they are also favored by bears, deer, raccoons, house sparrows and cow birds. In addition, corn is most likely contaminated with aflatoxin. Avoid dyed corn or buttered popcorn or any type of corn intended for agriculture.
Crows, chickadees, tits, jays and woodpeckers. These are also favorites of bears, squirrels and raccoons. They are quite prone to harboring aflatoxins. As such, peanuts should be stored dry and used fairly quickly.
Steller’s jays, Gambel’s quail, curved-beaked thrashers, cow birds and other ground-feeding species. These can be placed in low tray feeders.
- Canary seed and rapeseed
Quail, finches, juncos, pigeons, house sparrows and cowbirds. Most people don’t like to invite the last two bird species, so these seeds are not often used.
Whether it’s a simple platform feeder or a more advanced tube feeding system, the important thing is that you really understand the need for such systems. The feeling of being able to provide good quality food to some of Mother Nature’s creatures should be the primary motivation for choosing and purchasing the right one.
Our top pick
For us, the best bird feeders are those that meet a wide variety of needs. As such, one of the best bird feeders on the market has to be this hardy design from Brone. Thanks to a smart closing mechanism you can easily feed your garden visitors selectively. Heavier animals, such as squirrels, will trigger a mechanism that closes the feeding spout, deterring them from theft. Being completely chew resistant, opportunistic squirrels won’t be able to invade either.
The weatherproof design is made from durable RoxResin, making it able to withstand all conditions all year round. Fitted with a ‘cardinal ring’, the feeder also helps attract northern cardinals to the area. With six feeding ports to choose from, garden birds will be spoiled for choice. This handy function also makes it possible to feed many animals at the same time.