Bluebirds rarely eat seed: offer mealworms, suet bits or fruit in a dish or covered tray, such as the Droll Yankees Seed Saver, close to open grass where they hunt.
Mealworms under a dome
A covered tray that holds mealworms, fruit or suet bits.
Keep in mind: Add suitable placement or a compatible barrier if squirrel access matters; this feeder is not squirrel-resistant.
At the window
A small window tray for dried mealworms or fruit, with drain holes and a sloped roof, for a house near open grass.
Keep in mind: Choose it only if you can remove and manage the whole feeder at the window; it has no slide-out tray.
Open tray
A draining platform for fruit and dried mealworms; set live worms on it in a smooth-sided dish so they cannot crawl off.
Keep in mind: Its grid limits how much seed a squirrel can reach; it does not keep squirrels off. For that, baffle the pole or hang it where a squirrel cannot jump to it.
We earn a commission when you buy through these retailer links; it never decides the picks. How this site earns money. Try Prime free for 30 days ↗
Eastern, western and mountain bluebirds all hunt insects on open ground, so a seed feeder seldom tempts them. At feeders they take mealworms, suet bits, peanut hearts and fruit, from an open dish, a tray or the ground.
Live or dried mealworms both work; soak dried ones briefly in warm water if the birds ignore them. Offer a small amount once or twice a day at the same time so they learn the routine. Live worms crawl off a flat tray, so put them in a smooth-sided dish, on its own or set on the tray; dried worms and fruit can go straight on the tray.
Set the dish near the open ground where bluebirds hunt, on a post or a low hook in view of a perch. A window tray is worth a try only where that open ground is close to the house. Wash the dish every few days; mealworm leftovers spoil quickly in warm weather.
| Source | Updated |
|---|---|
| Common Feeder Birds ↗ | |
| Feeder Types ↗ |
