How to Attract Songbirds to a Birdfeeder

Across the United States, households put out bird feeders in an effort to attract birds, with songbirds specifically targeted by many bird enthusiasts. Songbirds at a feeder can bring a dreary winter day to life for an individual that enjoys the action as the various species flit back and forth and partake of the seeds. You can be part of this scene by keeping certain things in mind when setting up your bird feeders.

Things You'll Need

  • Bird feeders
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Peanut butter
  • Corn meal
  • Jelly
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Instructions

    • 1

      Realize that certain types of bird feeders will attract certain types of songbirds. Tube feeders will bring titmice, chickadees, finches and grosbeaks to feed, while hopper feeders, the type with a roof on them, will bring in buntings and cardinals as well as the other species. Suet feeders that attach to a tree trunk or next to another feeder attract woodpeckers, nuthatches and jays.

    • 2

      Employ a tray feeder to draw in the largest array of birds, but know the drawbacks. You might be a magnet for such birds as pigeons, starlings and house sparrows --- all undesirable species, since they are messy and cause problems for other birds. If you do choose a tray feeder, get one with a screen bottom that drains well to keep the seed from developing fungal or bacterial growth.

    • 3

      Serve the birds sunflower seeds to get the widest range of songbirds to your feeders. Black oil sunflower seeds possess thinner shells, and many birds love them. Striped sunflower seeds have a much harder shell, and this discourages species like blackbirds and house sparrows, which have difficulty penetrating the shell.

    • 4

      Feed songbirds a diet of peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter with corn meal mixed in is a healthy snack for a bird, but do this in the winter months so the peanut butter stays hard. Clean a feeder with this offering in it frequently to prevent bacteria from gaining a foothold. Small amounts of jelly in the spring provide songbirds with energy, especially during cold snaps and before the seeds and insects they typically consume are abundant.

    • 5

      Place your bird feeders strategically. Keep feeders closer than 3 feet to a large picture window. At the very least, an estimated 100 million birds perish each year after collisions with window glass, according to All About Birds. If the feeder is close to the glass, the songbird will not be at maximum speed if it does indeed fly into it.

    • 6

      Put feeders where there is shelter from the wind and predators, but never so close that a predator can take advantage. Evergreen shrubs and trees around a feeder offer a place for a songbird to avoid the elements and hide from cats and hawks. Keep the feeder at least 10 feet from such structures so a predator cannot use them to leap onto the feeder or ambush birds as they approach the feeder.