These are the four most common and effective birdfeeders that you can buy or make. Because different birds are attracted to different kinds of food and feeders, you may wish to experiment with different combinations to see what comes to your feeder.

Hanging or Hopper Feeder

Tube Feeder

Platform Feeder

Suet Feeder

These are some good foods for different birds:

Different foods attract different birds. These are the birds that might come.

notes and tips

sunflower seeds

cardinals, sparrows, evening grosbeak, hairy woodpecker

Cardinals prefer to feed on the ground or on a platform.

thistle seeds

american goldfinch, pine siskin

Goldfinch prefers a hanging tube feeder. doves and pigeons will feed on small seed that's spilled on the ground.

sugar water

hummingbirds, northern oriole

Water feeders should be red (like a flower) to attract birds. Commercial feeders will have red on them somewhere but adding red color to the sugar water is not necessary or recommended.

cracked corn

suet

white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, tufted titmouse

You can also smear suet or peanut butter into rough bark on old trees to attract these birds.

peanuts

tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay

fruit

northern oriole, northern cardinal