Best Place for a Bird Feeder: Where to Put It in Your Yard
Put feeders within 3 feet or beyond 30 feet of windows, about 10 feet from cover, out of squirrel range,…
This section covers bird feeders for backyard birds: tube, hopper, platform, window, suet, and squirrel-resistant designs. Each roundup states its selection criteria first, compares capacity, cleaning access, and weather protection, and says plainly who should look elsewhere.
New to feeding birds? Start with how to attract birds to a new feeder, then read what to feed wild birds before you buy seed. If squirrels empty every feeder you hang, our squirrel guide walks through baffles, placement, and seed choices. For our overall picks, see the best bird feeders. Keep any feeder healthy with our feeder cleaning guide. We do not list prices, because they change too often to stay accurate.
Put feeders within 3 feet or beyond 30 feet of windows, about 10 feet from cover, out of squirrel range,…
A hawk at your feeder is hunting the songbirds. Here is how to make the yard a worse hunting ground…
Fresh nyjer and sunflower in separate feeders near cover, clean water, and coneflowers left to seed bring goldfinches, House Finches,…
Hang suet at least 5 feet up, about 10 feet from squirrel launch points, near trees for cover, shaded in…
Free bird feeder plans from extension and wildlife agencies: a hopper, a cedar tray, platform and log feeders, which wood…
Attract cardinals with sunflower or safflower on a tray or hopper ledge about 10 feet from dense shrubs, plus shallow…
Use a suet feeder that opens only from below, drop corn, millet, and bread, skip trays and ground feeding, and…
Bread is a poor food for wild birds. Here is what to feed instead, by bird group, and which kitchen…
Measured setups that keep squirrels off bird feeders: launch-point gaps, baffle height, feeder designs, and seed swaps.
Bin the old seed, scrub with hot water, disinfect with diluted bleach when needed, rinse, and dry fully before refilling.