TYPES OF SEED FEEDERSWild Birds 101 »
Tube bird feeders are usually made of a clear plastic tube and can have either plastic or metal caps, bases and perches. Tube bird feeders keep seed clean and dry. Those with metal feeding ports are better for areas with more squirrel traffic. Tube bird feeders come in a variety of assortments, each designed to fit the needs of different species of birds.
Mixed Seed Feeders
Mixed Seed is economical and attracts a wide variety of birds, making it a popular choice among those that feed.
Thistle Seed Feeders
Thistle wild bird feeders are specially designed to serve and hold smaller, thinner nyjer or thistle seed. These types of feeders have port openings that are smaller than those for mixed seed and prevent the seed from falling out.
Thistle feeders are for birds such as siskins, juncos, and finches that have tiny thin beaks needed to access the smaller feeding ports. Larger birds cannot reach the seed due to the tiny ports on thistle wild bird feeders.
Special Upside Down thistle wild bird feeders have the seed opening below the perch, so the birds can hang upside down to feed. Very few birds possess this unique feeding ability; goldfinches, siskins, and chickadees are a few examples of birds that can eat upside down.
Since Nyjer seed has approximately a six-month shelf life, it is best to discard the remaining seed and purchase new seed after the allotted time period.
In addition, thistle wild bird feeders as well as other wild bird seed feeders should be cleaned every two weeks, more often in warmer weather. This will help to prevent the spread of bird diseases and keep the wild bird feeders looking nice.
If weather has been particularly rainy and damp, keep an eye on the thistle seed. Although most thistle wild bird feeders are designed to keep out rain, moisture can still penetrate any feeder and cause seed to become moldy. If this happens, discard the seed, clean the feeder, and refill with new seed.
Finches and other tiny birds who feast on thistle and nyjer seed are so fun to watch. Sometimes several finches, both male and female, will perch on a thistle feeder at the same time. It can be a wonderful experience to see three or four tiny goldfinches at a thistle feeder, chirping away while eating the delicious seed.
In addition, upside down bird feeders assure that finches will be the only diners since they are one of the very few birds that have the ability to eat upside down.
Our Evenseed™ bird feeders are designed to hold more than one kind of bird seed, with each type of seed held in a separate compartment. This allows the feeding ports to stay active longer, while attracting a larger variety of birds.
Triple tube bird feeders typically have a larger seed capacity and feature three separate feeding tubes. One of the advantages of triple tube bird feeders is being able to attract a wider variety of birds by filling each tube with a different type of bird seed. Or if you prefer to, just use one seed type. Having three tubes of the same seed means less refills are needed.
When using a variety of seeds in triple tube bird feeders, you may want to consider the kind of birds you wish to attract. For example, black-oil sunflower seeds attract cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and jays, while mixed seed attracts sparrows, juncos, doves, and quails.
Window Seed Feeders
Window feeders give you the unique opportunity to view birds closer than you normally would be able to. They are also compact and easy to install.
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