Exploring The Different Types of Bird Feeders

Hello everyone once again and welcome back.

This week I will shed some light on the different types of bird feeders you can use to attract birds to your yard.  Choosing a bird feeder(s) can be overwhelming, as there are many different ones readily available. However, there are really only 4 or 5 different design types.

First, I wanted to share a photo I took this past weekend of American Goldfinches at my platform feeder:

Probably the most popular type of feeder is referred to as the hopper feeder.  These can be hung or pole mounted.  There are many sizes and shapes of these, but the common design is similar in that there is a large hopper to hold the seed.  This type of feeder is also available with specially designed perches that close off the seed supply when a squirrel attempts to feed.  Some examples follow:

Pole Mounted Hopper Feeder

Hanging Hopper Feeder

Next I will describe the hanging tube feeder.  These are designed to hold generic mixed bird feed which typically contains black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, milo and millet.  An example is shown below:

Tube feeder

Based on my experience with this type of feeder, it is better to buy one that has metal perches/tube inserts and a metal hanger.  Those with plastic perches and handles can be chewed by squirrels, thus ruining the feeder.  Tube feeders are also available that have a metal wire cage around them to prevent larger birds from dominating the feeder.

For Small Birds Only

The next type is a variation of the tube feeder designed to feed thistle seed.  A traditional style tube feeder with smaller ports will work with thistle seeds, as well as a either a mesh sock or wire mesh feeder. Examples are as follows:

Thistle Tube Feeder

Mesh Sock Thistle Feeder

Wire Mesh Thistle feeder

The mesh sock feeders work well for smaller birds such as goldfinches, whereas the wire mesh thistle feeder is better for larger birds plus are much more durable.  I have had the experience of having a squirrel tear open the mesh sock feeder.

The platform feeder is another common type of feeder which can be used with any type of bird seed/food. I use one of these close to my window, and find it is a great feeder to use to obtain good photos. Of course there are many variations of these also:

Hanging Platform Feeder

Pole Mounted Platform

Next on the list is the window feeder.  These are great to get a really close up view of the birds.  These are typically mounted using suction cups.  One potential problem with this type is that birds may accidentally fly into the window/door the feeder is mounted on.  I think they are great to get children interested in bird watching.

Window Feeder

The final type of bird feeder I will talk about in this post is the suet feeder.  As you may be aware, birds love suet and this will attract different types of birds including woodpeckers.  These are typiclly a hanging feeder, however some hopper feeder have suet feeders attached (see the hanging hopper feeder above).  Suet feeders are typically wire "cages" that hold the suet cakes.  Many types of suet cakes are readily available.

Suet Feeder

So choose your feeder(s) and enjoy the bird watching.  In a future post I will discuss the different types of bird seed and food, and how to attract particular species of birds.

Until next time.