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A birdfeeder, bird feeder, or bird table is a device placed out-of-doors to supply bird food to birds. The success of a bird feeder in attracting birds depends upon its placement and the kinds of seeds offered, as different species have different preferences.
The most familiar feeders supply seeds such as millet, sunflower, safflower, thistle (niger or nyjer), and rapeseed or canola seed to seed-eating birds.
Bird feeders often are used for home birdwatching and many people keep webcams trained on feeders where birds often congregate.
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Types of feeders
Seed Feeders are the most common type. These can vary in design from tubes to hoppers and trays. Sunflower seed or mixed seed are popular for use in these feeders and will attract many songbirds such as cardinals, finches, and chickadees. Black-Oil Sunflower seed is especially popular with bird enthusiasts. The outer shell of Black Oil Sunflower seeds are thin and easy to crack. In addition, the kernel is larger than striped or white sunflower seeds. [1] Most bird feeders are designed to dispense sunflower-sized foods, but there are specialty "Finch Feeders" with smaller openings to dispense the tiny Guizotia abyssinica (Niger or nyjer) type of thistle seed, which is a favorite of smaller finches. Goldfinches are especially attracted to nyjer seed.
Hummingbird feeders, rather than dispensing seed, supply liquid nourishment to hummingbirds in the form of a sugar solution. This mixture often is colored red to attract birds. Some Hummingbird feeders have red accents or red glass to help attract hummingbirds. Mold tends to grow in hummingbird feeders, so they must be refreshed frequently and kept very clean to avoid harm to the birds, see the article on hummingbirds for more details. Ants and other insects are also attracted to hummingbird nectar. Smearing petroleum jelly on the feeder's hangar will prevent the ants from crawling down to the feeder below. [2]
Oriole feeders, which are traditionally colored orange, also supply such artificial nectar and are designed to serve New World orioles, which have an unusually shaped beak and tongue. These orioles and some other birds also will come to fruit foods, such as grape jelly, or half an orange on a peg. [3]
A suet feeder is typically a metal cage-like construction with a plastic coating that contains a cake or block of suet to feed woodpeckers, flickers, nuthatches, and many other species of insect eaters. Suet logs are also very common. These wooden logs have holes drilled out for suet to be inserted. Suet is high in fat which helps to keep birds warm and nourished during the cold winter. [4]
Providing a varied array of tastes and feeding venues will result in less competition for food and dining spots, just as a well planned garden will provide many plants that supply different types of seeds and nectar. A very shallow, gradually deepening birdbath that is safe from cats, kept clean, and refreshed frequently with clean water to avoid mosquitoes can attract as many birds as a feeder. Although a clear area around it that is free of hiding locations for cats should be provided, the birdbath should be placed where a frightened bird can fly up easily to an overhanging limb or resting place if disturbed or attacked.
Squirrels
Squirrels may also help themselves to the contents of bird feeders, often not merely feeding, but carrying away the food to their hoard. There are various anti-squirrel devices available to thwart attempts by squirrels to raid bird feeders. Several manufacturers produce feeders with perches that collapse under the weight of anything heavier than a bird, or that use battery power to shock an intruder lightly or spin the perching area to fling it off. Caged feeders are often designed so that squirrels cannot reach the seed inside, but birds can easily fly through the cage's holes. Another way to keeping squirrels from getting into the bird feeder is to add crushed red pepper flakes to the seed; this will not upset the birds, but the squirrel will not forget.
The placement of a bird feeder can also prevent squirrels from accessing the seed. In addition, baffles can be used that prevent squirrels from gaining their footing above feeders. Below feeders, baffles can prevent squirrels from climbing any further.
Sometimes the placement of a separate and isolated squirrel feeder is the best way to keep squirrels away from bird feeders. Squirrel feeders typically offer a whole dried cob of corn, often at the top of a rotating stick to add a bit of amusement to their antics.
Seasonal use
While bird feeders are thought of by some as winter projects, urban and some suburban areas can benefit from bird feeders year-round. Winter feeders can be used during severe weather to provide food for birds who are caught in a snowstorm and find natural food with greater difficulty.
Negative impacts
Feeding wild birds does carry potential risks. Birds may contract and spread disease by gathering at feeders; poorly maintained feeding and watering stations may also cause illness. Birds at feeders risk predation by cats and other animals, or may incur injury by flying into windows. Steps can be taken to reduce the risks to birds, such as: regular disinfecting of feeders and watering stations, ensuring feed has not become moldy or rancid, and proper positioning of feeders to reduce crowding and window collisions.[5] [6]
Depending on the feeder design and the type of feed used, species such as the House Sparrow can dominate the use of the feeder. As a result, House Sparrow numbers can become inflated locally where feeders are used. In North America, where the House Sparrow is an introduced species, competition from House Sparrows can exclude the indigenous bluebirds from available nest sites.
The use of bird feeders causes many other environmental problems that have been outlined in newspaper and journal articles. On December 27, 2002, The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article entitled, Crying Fowl: Feeding Wild Birds May Harm Them and Environment. Prior to the publication of this article, Canadian ornithologist Jason Rogers wrote extensively about the environmental problems associated with the use of bird feeders in the journal Alberta Naturalist.
See also
External links
- YardEnvy Bird Feeders
- WBU birdfeeder cam
- Online Plans For Building a Bird Feeder
- Free bird feeder plans
- Types of Bird Feeders
- Choosing Bird Feeders
- For Kids - Dinner is for the Birds!
