All metal
Nature's Way Midnight Metal Mesh Mixed Seed and Peanut Bird Feeder
A powder-coated metal mesh tube for 2.75 qt; every part comes off for cleaning without tools.
Bird feeder materials
For a feeder that lasts and scrubs clean, choose metal or recycled plastic lumber: both stand up to the weather, and metal to squirrels’ teeth. Wood looks good but is harder to wash, and Project FeederWatch cautions against wood you cannot clean well; glass and clear plastic show the food level at a glance.
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Recycled plastic lumber
Birds Choice Tall Hopper Bird Feeder with Suet Cages
Made in the USA of poly lumber Birds Choice guarantees never to crack, split or fade.
Glass for nectar
Kingsyard 16 oz Glass Hummingbird Feeder with Ant Moat
A 16 oz glass bottle with a wide mouth for washing, over a base with an ant moat.
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Aspects · Seed feeder
Quick-Clean Seed Tube, Medium #424
- Holds 1.25 qt
- Comes apart to clean
A metal-capped sunflower tube whose base comes off to wash it.
Keep in mind: It has no squirrel guard; hang it on a baffled pole or away from jump-off points.
Aspects · Seed feeder
Quick-Clean Peanut Mesh Feeder, Medium #440
- Holds 1.25 qt
Shelled peanuts for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice, which cling to the mesh.
Keep in mind: Use shelled peanuts only; whole peanuts in the shell do not fit through the mesh.
Brome · Seed feeder
Squirrel Buster Classic
- Holds 2.4 lb
- Squirrel-resistant
- Comes apart to clean
A tall 2.4 lb squirrel-resistant tube, at a lower price than the Plus, if you do not need to adjust the spring.
Keep in mind: The spring is not adjustable, so you cannot tune it for heavier birds.
Birds Choice · Seed feeder
Medium Hopper Bird Feeder
- Holds 3 lb
- Comes apart to clean
A made-in-USA recycled-plastic hopper for cardinals, jays and chickadees, about 3 lb of seed.
Keep in mind: The 1 in pole flange (#1202) or 15 in hanging cable (#C15) is sold separately.
Birds Choice · Suet feeder
Upside-Down Suet Feeder for Two Cakes
Suet that woodpeckers and nuthatches eat from below and starlings find hard to reach.
Keep in mind: Plain suet softens and goes rancid in heat; use no-melt cakes in summer.
More Birds · Nectar feeder
Royal Glass Hummingbird Feeder with Ant Moat
- Holds 28 oz
A large glass bottle with its own ant moat, for a busy yard.
Keep in mind: 28 oz is more than a few birds drink before nectar spoils: fill it part way.
Nature's Way · Oriole feeder
Wire and Glass Oriole Feeder
Grape jelly and orange halves for orioles, with a dish that lifts out to wash.
Keep in mind: Jelly spoils and draws bees in warm weather: put out a little at a time and change it often.
Duncraft · Platform feeder
Open Air Ground Platform Bird Feeder
- Holds 5 lb
Ground-feeding birds such as doves and cardinals, with corner perches that chickadees and finches land on.
Keep in mind: Food at ground level is within reach of squirrels and other animals, so fill only what the birds finish in a day.
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Duncraft · Mealworm feeder
Sheltered Mealworm Feeder
Bluebirds and other small birds, which slip in through the 1½ in openings while the roof keeps rain and snow off.
Keep in mind: Project FeederWatch cautions against wood feeders that cannot be washed well: wash it often and let it dry fully.
Birds Choice · Seed feeder
Copper Mesh Hanging Bird Feeder for Black Oil Sunflower and Shelled Peanuts
- Holds 1 lb
Shelled peanuts or sunflower for clinging birds, in a feeder whose top slides up the cable to fill and clean.
Keep in mind: It has no perches: birds cling to the mesh, which suits chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers better than cardinals.
Metal
Powder-coated steel, stainless mesh and copper last for years, wipe clean and stand up to squirrels’ teeth: Brome makes every part of its Squirrel Busters that a squirrel can reach chew-proof, and Nature’s Way builds its Midnight mesh feeder entirely of powder-coated metal that comes apart without tools.
Recycled plastic lumber
Feeders made of recycled poly lumber, such as Birds Choice’s and Duncraft’s, do not rot, and Birds Choice guarantees its lumber never to crack, split or fade. It scrubs clean in soapy water, and with stainless steel screws nothing rusts.
Wood
Wood looks at home in a garden but soaks up moisture and is harder to scrub, and Project FeederWatch cautions against wooden feeders that cannot be cleaned thoroughly. If you choose wood, wash it often, let it dry fully and reseal it as its maker says: Birdfy, for example, asks owners of its wooden camera feeder to reseal it every 3 to 6 months. Squirrels can chew through it.
Glass and clear plastic
A glass nectar bottle or a clear polycarbonate tube shows at a glance when the food is low, cloudy or moldy, and smooth walls are easy to wash. Look for UV-stabilized polycarbonate, which holds up in sun. Whatever the material, the test is the same: can you take it apart and scrub every corner?
References
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| How To Clean Your Feeders ↗ |