When finding the ideal bird feeder, it is essential to keep in mind that the item should be sturdy enough to withstand harsh weather. It should also be designed in a way that it can keep the seeds assembled, dry, and easy to clean.
If you want to entice different wild birds to your firm, it would be great to offer excellent bird feeders and various foods. You may find that some species of birds are most likely to use the same kind of feeder over another. Keep reading and learn how to choose the best bird feeder from the list below.
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Platform or Tray Feeders
When it comes to tray Bird feeder, they entice a vast variety of seeds-eating birds. These include starlings, pigeons, and house sparrows. Also include native sparrows and grosbeaks.
Remember that tray feeders provide minimal protection against snow and rain. Without ideal drainage, seeds may become wet and start sprouting. They may also foster bacterial growth and fundal.
Additionally, bird droppings may quickly soil the seeds in the tray feeders. Therefore, when choosing the best tray feeder, it is vital to go for the one with a screened instead of a solid bottom to enhance drainage.
It helps when the bottom is removable to ideally frequent hosting. Provide enough food in tray feeders that birds can finish daily, and maintain shaking up the bottom every time you add seeds. Below is an example of the tray bird feeder.
Tube Feeders
Another type of bird feeder that you can choose is a tube feeder. Hollow tunes help keep seeds dry and clean. However, if they are designed with metal feeding ports, squirrels may sometime find it hard to feed on them.
It may entice small birds such as grosbeaks, sparrows, titmice, finches, and chickadees while excluding species such as jays and grackles. Some tube feeders can accommodate many birds at a time.
When adding new seeds to tube feeders, it is always imperative to empty the old ones. Below is an example of a tube feeder.
House or Hopper Feeders
Hopper feeder helps protect seeds fairly well against bird dropping and unfavorable weather. However, if the seeds within this product are rained on and get wet, fungus and bacteria can thrive. Note that the hopper feeder attracts many birds. These include cardinals, jays, finches, grosbeaks, and buntings, among many others.
Many hopers are well designed to hold enough foods, which can last for many days. This can be very convenient for many individuals; but dangerous for the birds if the seeds get wet and catch fungus or molds. Remember that these feeders are not easy to clean compare to tray feeders. You can mount your hopper feeder on a pole or tree stem. Here is the photo of the best hopper feeder.
Suet Feeders
A suet feeder is also an incredible type of bird feeder since it helps attract a variety of titmice, chickadees, woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, and starlings. Remember that suet cages that open only at the bottom allow birds to hand upside down while feeding. This design tends to exclude starlings who find it difficult to perch that way.
When shopping for a suet feeder, check the material used to construct them. This is because sometimes, bird eyes and tongues can get stuck to the metal. You can go for plastic-coated suet for the safety of the birds. Sometimes bird toes entangle in mesh onion bags.
This may result in a bird’s death if someone fails to notice and release the bird on time. Note that suet cages are considered safe and the proper way to offer suet. Some individuals prefer drilling holes in small logs for peanut butter or spooning rendered suet. While others put peanut butter in the crevices of the tree back, too. Below is a photo of the suit feeder cage.
The above-stated points will enable you to pick an ideal Bird feeder that best suits your needs.
