Find the bird feeder and seed
that bring the birds you want.
Pick your birds and your yard, and get a feeder setup with the exact seed and squirrel guard to buy. Free, no account.
1Hopper feeder with black oil sunflower.For Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee.
2Nyjer tube feeder with nyjer seed.For American Goldfinch.
3Suet cage with suet cake.For Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker.
Example setup: a yard pole in the Northeast in winter, for cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees and downy woodpeckers, with squirrels around.
Set the pole about 10 feet from fences, branches and roofs so squirrels can’t jump on. Place the baffle top at least 4 feet up; follow its maker’s higher clearance if specified.
Skip mixes heavy in milo and red millet. These birds mostly leave them on the ground. Know your seed
Birds you want4 selected · choose any that catch your eye
Tap a bird to add or remove it. The little “i” opens its field notes and photo credit.
Your parts list.
3 feeders, the right food, and a place to put them.
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Feeders
Perky-Pet Panorama bird feeder
Washable hopper-style feeder with a circular perch
For Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee.
Droll Yankees Ring Pull nyjer feeder
Tube with small nyjer ports and a metal base
For American Goldfinch.
C&S single suet cake feeder
Washable wire cage for one standard suet cake
For Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker.
Food
Wagner’s black oil sunflower seed
20 lb bag, single seed
A broad-appeal seed for your seed-eating birds.
Kaytee Nyjer seed
Single-ingredient nyjer; start with a small bag
Goldfinches and siskins eat nyjer; small ports prevent seed spilling.
C&S High Energy suet
Standard-size suet cakes
Suet suits woodpeckers, chickadees and other clinging birds.
Mount & squirrel guard
Erva bird feeder pole kit with ground socket
1-inch pole; match socket and hanging arms to the kit
A freestanding support for the hanging feeders.
3 × Erva 1-inch pole clamp-on feeder arm
One compatible arm per hanging feeder; check kit contents
Allow 3 hanging positions. Omit arms already included in your kit.
Stovepipe squirrel baffle for 1-inch pole
About 24 inches long; matching pole collar
Blocks the climbing route when properly placed below the feeders.
Search links, not a stock catalogue. Match the specification above and check mount fit, filled weight and included hardware before buying.
How it works
- 1
Pick the birds you want.
- 2
We match each one to the feeder and food it eats.
- 3
Buy the parts list and hang it up.
Free, with no paid tier. The fewest feeder styles that cover the preferred-food matches, plus any seasonal nectar additions you choose.
Seed that wastes
your money.
That bargain mix can leave a lot on the ground. Milo, red millet, wheat and oats often pad out mixes, but many common feeder birds pick out the sunflower and leave the rest. Milo does have takers, especially among Western ground-feeding birds.
White proso millet is different. Juncos, doves and native sparrows eat it; house sparrows do too. Match it to a low tray rather than avoiding all millet. For the widest-appeal single seed, start with black oil sunflower.
Before you hang it up.
I hung a feeder a week ago. Why no birds?
It can take days or weeks for birds to find a new feeder. Start with fresh food, keep it clean, and give birds nearby native cover without giving cats a hiding spot. Local habitat and the time of year matter as much as the feeder. No setup guarantees a visit.
Is mixed seed bad?
Not inherently. A mix with foods your birds eat can work well. Read the ingredients: sunflower is a useful starting point, while lots of red millet, wheat, oats or milo may mean waste. White proso millet is different: it suits many ground-feeding birds.
How high should a feeder be?
A hanging seed feeder around 5-6 feet up is often convenient to refill. Keep a pole baffle below the feeders at the height its maker specifies, with its top at least 4 feet up. Juncos and doves prefer low trays. Window feeders attach directly to glass; make nearby windows visible to birds.
Will a baffle really stop squirrels?
A baffle helps when it interrupts the only climbing route. On a yard pole, leave about 10 feet from branches, fences and roofs. A railing gives squirrels a way around a pole baffle, so this planner switches to resistant feeders instead. No defense works in every placement.
Should I stop feeding in summer?
Not automatically, but food spoils faster in heat. Offer small amounts, use no-melt suet dough in shade, and clean nectar feeders every couple of days or more often in hot weather. Follow local wildlife advice, especially if bears or sick birds are present. See the linked Cornell care guidance for updated precautions.
Where does your bird data come from?
Food and feeder preferences are based on Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch and All About Birds, with nectar guidance from Audubon. Presence is a broad regional estimate, not a live sighting forecast. Wikipedia supplies photos, not the recommendations. Matches are deterministic; no AI ranks the parts.