Best Finch Feeders (Nyjer & Thistle)

The best finch feeder is one built for nyjer: fine mesh or very small ports that let goldfinches, siskins, and House Finches pull seed out without spilling it, a body you can take apart to clean, and a size you can keep filled with fresh seed. Our pick on that combination is the Kingsyard Metal Mesh Finch Feeder, an all-metal mesh tube with a perching tray and ends that twist off. Finch feeders come in three main styles (mesh tubes, port tubes, and soft socks), so this guide compares ten of them and explains which style suits which yard and which birds.

We compared the ten on feeding style, seed capacity, who else can perch and eat, how each opens for cleaning, what it does or does not do about squirrels, and what owners report after using it. Every product spec below comes from the Amazon listing or the maker’s own product page, and we say which; where the two disagree, we show both. Advice on seed and feeders comes from the Project FeederWatch, Penn State Extension, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Audubon pages we link.

This guide covers choosing a feeder, not caring for sick birds. If you see a finch with red, swollen, or crusty eyes or another bird that seems ill, take your feeders down, clean them, and contact your state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator rather than handling the bird yourself.

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Our Top Finch Feeder Picks

• Best Overall: Kingsyard Metal Mesh Finch Feeder. An all-metal mesh tube that holds 2.5 lb of seed, per Kingsyard, with a 360-degree seed tray for perching birds and a top and base that twist off without tools, per the listing.
• Best Squirrel-Resistant Finch Feeder: Brome Squirrel Buster Nyjer. The only feeder here with a weight-activated shroud, which closes its eight ports when a squirrel climbs on, per Brome.
• Best Recycled-Plastic Finch Feeder: Kingsyard Recycled Plastic Mesh Finch Feeder. The only feeder here with a recycled plastic body, per the listing and Kingsyard, with two mesh panels that pull out for cleaning and 3 lb of nyjer, per Kingsyard.
• Best Mini Finch Feeder: Woodlink Coppertop Mini Thistle Feeder. The smallest feeder here: a mesh cage that holds 1/2 lb of thistle, per the listing, with a roof that slides up the hanger for filling.
• Best High-Capacity Finch Feeder: Kaytee Finch Station 2. About 7 lb of finch food, per the listing (Kaytee says more than 7 lb), more than twice what any other feeder here holds, fed through soft mesh socks under a dome reservoir.

Five feeders carry no title. The Perky-Pet Straight-Sided feeder sits second in our research order but is a smaller take on our Best Overall, holding 1.5 lb, per Perky-Pet. The Perky-Pet Yellow and Black tube does not appear on Perky-Pet’s own site, and the Kingsyard dome feeder has no model number and two different capacities on its listing. Owners split on whether birds can get seed out of the Aspects 402’s small ports, and on how long the Woodlink NATUBE9’s plastic tube lasts; that listing’s spec table also calls a hanging tube freestanding and solar powered.

Finch Feeders Compared

How We Chose

We searched Amazon US for finch, thistle, and nyjer feeders, then removed listings that turned out not to be finch feeders once we read their full titles. Each remaining feeder had to be sold new, carry an average of at least 4.0 out of 5 from at least 30 owner ratings, and come from a brand on our reviewed list for bird feeders. Listings whose manufacturer field named a company other than the brand or its confirmed parent company were dropped, as was one Woodlink listing that was not available to buy new. When the same feeder was sold alone and as a two-pack, we kept one listing so that you see ten different feeders, and we kept no more than three from one brand.

Best Overall has to be a feeder built for nyjer and finches from a brand we have vetted, average at least 4.2 out of 5 (for the top spot we prefer at least 1,000 owner ratings), and still be sold by its maker. The Kingsyard Metal Mesh Finch Feeder meets all of that: it holds 2.5 lb of seed, per Kingsyard, adds a 360-degree tray for perching birds, and its top and base twist off without tools, per the listing. The other nine feeders follow our research order for this guide. The FeederBirdLab Score on each card is a separate measure and does not decide that order; see how the score is calculated. We then read every listing and each maker’s product page where we could match one to the listing, and noted where they disagree. Kingsyard still lists the Best Overall on its own site. Woodlink’s website blocked our requests, and Perky-Pet’s site does not list the Yellow and Black tube, so those specs come from the listings alone. Our full method is on the How We Review page.

How to Choose the Best Finch Feeder

Start with nyjer and a feeder built for it

Nyjer, often sold as thistle, is the seed that defines this category. Project FeederWatch says it comes from an African plant, Guizotia abyssinica, rather than North American thistle, and that it attracts finches including American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, and Common Redpoll. Because the seed is so small, FeederWatch says it needs a feeder with very small feeding ports, and that it is best fed by itself, not in a mix, to prevent waste. Penn State Extension names goldfinches, House Finches, and Purple Finches as the birds that make niger seed popular, and its Pennsylvania-based feeder table lists a niger feeder and a hanging tube feeder for all three.

That is why a finch feeder is usually a dedicated second feeder rather than your only one. The Audubon Guide to Bird Feeding advises offering sunflower seed, nyjer, and peanuts in separate feeders. Several feeders here are built for nyjer alone: Brome says the Squirrel Buster Nyjer is specifically designed for tiny Nyjer seeds, and the Kingsyard recycled plastic listing says its wire grid fits only tiny nyjer seeds, and Kingsyard says it holds 3 lb. The Kingsyard metal mesh tube is more flexible; Kingsyard told one shopper on its product page that a finch blend of nyjer and small sunflower chips should work in it.

Mesh, ports, or socks

The three styles feed birds in different ways. A mesh feeder lets finches cling anywhere on the outside, upright or upside down as the Kingsyard dome listing puts it, and pick seed through the wire; the Perky-Pet listings say several birds can feed at once that way, and the Woodlink Coppertop Mini listing calls its cage free of open ports so seed is protected from scattering. A port tube feeds birds one per opening: the Brome, Aspects, and Woodlink NATUBE9 each have eight. A sock feeder is soft mesh fabric; Kaytee says finches like to cling to socks and prefer them to traditional tubes, which is the maker’s view, not a finding from an independent source.

Birds do not always agree with the category. One Woodlink NATUBE9 owner says goldfinches refused every larger feeder set beside it, mesh and sock types included, and one Aspects 402 owner says birds avoid mesh feeders once the seed gets wet, while Perky-Pet says its mesh lets wet seed air out quickly. If your finches already favor one style, buy more of it. If you are starting fresh, a mesh tube with a tray serves both clinging and perching birds, part of why the Kingsyard tube is our Best Overall.

Trays and perches decide who else eats

A seed tray catches spilled nyjer and gives perching birds a place to stand, but it also invites birds you may not want. Penn State Extension says a tray on a tube allows larger species to feed, and its species table lists House Sparrows, which eat niger, at tube feeders with a tray. Project FeederWatch suggests tubes with short perches and no catch basins when larger birds such as grackles become a nuisance. Owners describe the same trade: one Kingsyard metal mesh owner says sparrows use its tray to eat the nyjer, while a Woodlink Coppertop Mini owner says that with no perch, only small clinging birds such as finches and chickadees visit, which keeps House Sparrows off.

Much of the advice on attracting finches without drawing a crowd comes down to that design choice: mesh with no tray when you want mostly finches, and a tray when you are happy to feed a mixed crowd. Because House Sparrows eat niger too, per Penn State, the feeder’s shape does more of the sorting than the seed does.

Capacity: how often you can refill, and how fast seed goes stale

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bird feeding fact sheet puts the trade simply: small feeders are emptied sooner, while larger feeders hold more seed but are heavier. In a busy yard the difference shows quickly: one Woodlink NATUBE9 owner was filling the feeder three times a day at the peak. The capacities in this guide run from 1/2 lb on the Woodlink mini to about 7 lb on the Kaytee Finch Station 2.

Bigger is not automatically better with nyjer, because finches skip stale seed, owners say. One Kingsyard recycled plastic owner says the feeder hung untouched for about a week with leftover nyjer that was a year or more old, then American Goldfinches arrived within a day or two of switching to a fresh bag. One Kingsyard metal mesh owner in Santa Fe, New Mexico, advises keeping fresh nyjer and filling the feeder only two-thirds to three-quarters full. If only a few finches visit, a smaller feeder that empties in a few days keeps the seed fresher than a large one that sits for weeks.

Squirrels: metal helps, but only one feeder here closes

The Fish and Wildlife Service fact sheet notes that squirrels can chew through wood and plastic but not metal and wire, which favors the all-metal Kingsyard and Perky-Pet mesh tubes. Metal does not stop a squirrel from eating, though; only the Brome Squirrel Buster Nyjer closes its ports under a squirrel’s weight. Brome is plain about the limits: its store page says the feeder will not deter grackles, starlings, juvenile red, Douglas, or flying squirrels, chipmunks, possums, bears, deer, or raccoons, asks owners to bring it in at night, and says to allow at least 18 inches of clearance around the feeder so a squirrel cannot reach it from a nearby foothold.

Some owners report that squirrels show little interest in nyjer itself, though squirrels can still damage a feeder: one Kingsyard recycled plastic owner says squirrels pulled the side screens out at the top, where nothing holds them in, and bent the mesh.

Cleaning, and why it matters more at finch feeders

House Finches move in flocks, and they are the species most affected by a contagious eye disease that spreads where birds gather. Project FeederWatch’s House Finch eye disease page describes infected birds with red, swollen, runny, or crusty eyes, notes confirmed cases in American Goldfinches and Purple Finches too, and asks people to clean feeders regularly even when there are no signs of disease and to space feeders widely to discourage crowding. Its feeding guidelines suggest cleaning seed feeders every week or two, and more often during heavy use or wet weather, by taking them apart and scrubbing the parts.

So look at how each feeder comes apart before you buy. The Kingsyard metal mesh tube and the Perky-Pet tubes have caps or bases that twist or lift off, per their listings and Perky-Pet’s page. Both mesh panels on the Kingsyard recycled plastic feeder pull out, per the listing. The Aspects 402 has a Quick-Clean removable base, and Brome says the Squirrel Buster Nyjer comes apart by hand without tools. The Woodlink NATUBE9 is the one to check: one owner says the photos showed a push-button base, but the two feeders that arrived had screws. A feeder that comes apart without a screwdriver is quicker to clean, whatever routine you follow.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

If you want one feeder that also serves cardinals, jays, and chickadees, look for a seed tube or hopper with larger openings, not one of these nyjer feeders with their small ports and fine mesh. If grackles, starlings, cowbirds, or crows are taking over your other feeders, the Fish and Wildlife Service suggests offering only safflower and thistle, with thistle only in a feeder with upside-down feeding ports; none of the feeders here is described that way.

Skip the Woodlink Coppertop Mini if you dislike seed on the ground, since owners say seed falls through its mesh. Skip the Brome if you want to set how much weight closes the ports, because the listing calls it non-adjustable. Skip the Kingsyard metal mesh tube if you hang feeders from a curved hook: one owner says it must be turned sideways to come off, which spills seed. And if bears visit your yard, take feeders in: one Woodlink NATUBE9 owner says a bear broke the feeder to pieces.

Finch Feeder FAQ

Is a mesh or a port feeder better for finches?

Neither wins everywhere. Mesh lets many finches cling at once, in any position; ports with perches give each bird a set place and, on a feeder like the Brome, can sit behind a squirrel-resistant shroud. Owners of both styles report finches that ignored one and crowded the other, so if one style is already working in your yard, stay with it. Whichever you choose, it should be built for nyjer, which Project FeederWatch says needs very small feeding ports.

What feeder works best for House Finches?

A House Finch feeder can be fairly simple. Penn State Extension’s species table lists niger, sunflower seeds, and millet as House Finch foods and a niger feeder, a hanging tube feeder, or the ground as places they feed. Any of the nyjer feeders here suits them, and a tray, like those on the Kingsyard and Perky-Pet mesh tubes, gives them a second way to feed: one Kingsyard owner says House Finches eat what lands in the tray or pull seed from between the mesh. Because House Finches are the species most affected by the eye disease Project FeederWatch tracks, pick a model you can take apart and clean every week or two.

Do yellow finch feeders attract more goldfinches?

None of the agency or extension pages we read says color matters. The Perky-Pet Yellow and Black listing says its yellow accents stand out to nearby finches, and one owner says the birds liked a yellow version better than the green one it replaced, but another owner of the same yellow feeder says the finches would not eat from it. Owners of several feeders here point to fresh seed as the bigger factor. Buy a yellow finch feeder if you like the look, and keep the nyjer fresh either way.

Is a metal or a plastic finch feeder better?

Metal is the safer bet where squirrels chew, since the Fish and Wildlife Service says they can chew through plastic but not metal and wire. Neither material is trouble-free, though. Two Woodlink NATUBE9 owners describe a plastic tube that felt delicate or split at its seams, and one Kingsyard recycled plastic owner saw warping after a hot summer; on the metal side, one Perky-Pet Yellow and Black owner bought it to replace an earlier one whose top plate welds broke after four years.

Can I put sunflower chips in a finch feeder?

In some of them, not the nyjer-only models described above. Kingsyard says a blend of nyjer and small sunflower chips should work in its metal mesh tube, and one Perky-Pet Yellow and Black owner who switched to chipped sunflower drew at least 15 species, including woodpeckers, bluebirds, and a cardinal, to a feeder meant for finches. The same owner says rain turns the seed inside to mush, so it has to be thrown out after a soaking.

Final Thoughts

Choose the style your finches will use and a size you can keep fresh, then the model. Our picks by need:

• Best Overall: Kingsyard Metal Mesh Finch Feeder. An all-metal mesh tube with a perching tray, still listed on Kingsyard’s own site.
• Best Squirrel-Resistant Finch Feeder: Brome Squirrel Buster Nyjer. Eight ports behind a shroud that closes under a squirrel’s weight, per Brome.
• Best Recycled-Plastic Finch Feeder: Kingsyard Recycled Plastic Mesh Finch Feeder. A recycled plastic frame with pull-out mesh panels, per the listing.
• Best Mini Finch Feeder: Woodlink Coppertop Mini Thistle Feeder. A 1/2 lb mesh cage, per the listing, for a few clinging finches.
• Best High-Capacity Finch Feeder: Kaytee Finch Station 2. About 7 lb of finch food in a sock feeder, per the listing.

Owners here report anything from 15 minutes to a couple of months before the first goldfinches found a new feeder, so keep the seed fresh while you wait. For more feeders by type and species, browse our Bird Feeders section.

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