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Who's at the Feeder?

Pick a feeder and a food, and see which backyard birds would come to eat.

Step 1Choose a feeder
Step 2Choose a food

15 of 38 backyard birds would visit

Get this setup

Woodlink Absolute II Squirrel-Resistant Feeder

A big metal hopper feeder for yards with lots of birds. A weighted perch bar closes the seed tray when a squirrel steps on it.

Check price on Amazon for Woodlink Absolute II Squirrel-Resistant Feeder (opens Amazon)
Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed

If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.

Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)

How it works

Each bird has favorite foods and feeders it's comfortable on. Cardinals need room to perch, so they skip small tube ports without a ring. Juncos and doves feed on the ground. Woodpeckers and nuthatches cling to suet cages. Hummingbirds and orioles drink nectar. Match the food and the feeder, and you'll get the birds.

Results are for typical backyards. Birds marked West live only in the western US. See the bird feeding chart for more detail.

Frequently asked questions

What feeder attracts the most kinds of birds?

A hopper or tube feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seed. Add a suet feeder, and you'll cover most backyard birds.

Why aren't birds coming to my new feeder?

Give it one to two weeks. Birds need time to find a new feeder, and a spot near shrubs or trees, where they can dart for cover, helps a lot.

What do cardinals like best?

Safflower and sunflower seed on a hopper, platform, or tube feeder with a ring perch. Cardinals are big birds, so they prefer room to sit.