Safflower hopper
WoodLink Absolute II
8 qt of safflower on a broad perch; the perches close under a squirrel’s weight.
Cardinal bird feeders
Cardinals are big seed eaters that like to stand while they feed: a hopper or platform with black-oil sunflower or safflower suits them best, such as the WoodLink Absolute II or the Duncraft 4684 platform.
Open platform
Duncraft Squirrel Resistant Platform Feeder 4684
Room to stand, a draining floor, and a grid that slows squirrels down.
Covered tray
Droll Yankees Seed Saver Platform Bird Feeder X-1
A dome you can raise for bigger birds keeps seed drier.
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2 more feeders
Droll Yankees · Window feeder
Observer Window Bird Feeder OWF
- Holds 0.5 lb
- Suction cups, no drilling
A small window feeder on three suction cups for seed, fruit, suet or mealworms.
Keep in mind: Choose it only if you can remove and manage the whole feeder at the window; it has no slide-out tray.
Nature Anywhere · Window feeder
Birds-I-View Window Bird Feeder
- Suction cups, no drilling
A clear window feeder on suction cups; the tray slides out to refill.
Keep in mind: Treat the glass to reduce collisions and keep the tray clean; mounting directly on a window does not remove collision risk.
What cardinals need from a feeder
Northern cardinals are large, heavy-billed seed eaters that stay all year across the East and Southwest. They like to stand while they eat and often feed on the ground below a feeder, so a wide ledge, a tray or a long perch suits them better than a short tube perch.
What to fill it with
Black-oil sunflower and safflower are the staples; cardinals also take hulled sunflower, cracked corn, millet and peanut hearts. Safflower tends to interest squirrels, grackles and starlings less, which makes it a useful seed where they crowd the feeder.
Where to put it
Cardinals feed most at dawn and dusk and like a shrub nearby to dart into. Put the feeder within a short flight of cover but far enough from dense bushes that a cat cannot wait there unseen, and near a window only within 3 ft of the glass. A window feeder with an open tray, such as the Birds-I-View or the Observer, gives a cardinal room to stand in front of the glass.
References
| Source | Updated |
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| Common Feeder Birds ↗ | |
| Feeder Types ↗ |