Feed the birds in your yard, and know why it works
Identification, feeding and problem-solving for American backyards. Written plainly, sourced from Cornell Lab, Project FeederWatch, Audubon and state wildlife agencies — and honest about it when the experts disagree.
What bird did you see?
Most people start with color, which is the least reliable clue. Start here anyway — then the guides walk you through size, bill shape and behavior, which is what actually settles it.
Backyard bird guides
The four species most likely to be at your feeder east of the Rockies, and what each one actually wants from you.
Northern Cardinal
Wants somewhere to stand, which is why a tube feeder disappoints and a hopper does not. Also the reason a bird is hitting your window every morning in March.
Blue Jay
Loud, clever, and unfairly maligned. They cache thousands of acorns a year and plant a fair number of oak trees doing it.
American Goldfinch
They do not leave in winter. They turn drab olive and people stop recognizing them. The latest nester in North America, and strictly vegetarian.
Black-capped Chickadee
Takes one seed and leaves, every time. Caches thousands and remembers where. The alarm call encodes how dangerous the threat is.
Something wrong in the yard?
The eight problems people write in about most.
Feeding backyard birds
Year-round feeding is normal in the United States, and the guidance here reflects that. If you have read British or European advice about pausing over summer, that does not apply where you are.
Month by month, what changes and what does not. Plus the two myths worth putting to bed.
Best bird seedWhy black oil sunflower beats everything else, and how to read a label so you stop paying for milo.
Types of feederTube, hopper, platform, window, suet, nyjer and ground — and which birds each one actually brings in.
CleaningEvery two weeks, with a 10% bleach solution. The step most people skip is drying it properly.
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Hummingbirds
Ruby-throated in the east, Anna’s, Rufous and Black-chinned in the west. Almost everything about keeping them coming back is a cleaning question rather than a feeding one.
Feeders plus native tubular flowers, and why two small feeders often beat one large one.
Nectar recipeFour parts water, one part white sugar. No red dye, no honey, no substitutes — and how often to change it by temperature.
Choosing a feederSaucer or bottle, ant moats, bee guards, and why yellow parts are a mistake.
When to put it outArrival and departure by region, and the migration myth that will not die.
Buying guides
Written around what makes a good one, not around five model numbers that will be discontinued by next spring. Every recommendation names a real drawback, because a page where everything is excellent is an advert.
What to look for in each type, and what the cheap versions get wrong.
Hummingbird feedersJudged mostly on how easily they come apart, because that is what decides whether you keep using them.
Seed and suetWhat each seed brings in, what to avoid, and the safflower trick that puts off squirrels and grackles.
Baffles and polesThe 5-7-9 rule, what actually works, and the popular fix that hurts the animal.
Affiliate disclosure: some links in our buying guides go to Amazon. If you buy through one we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. Full disclosure.
Through the year
Spring and summer
Hummingbird feeders go out, nectar needs changing faster in the heat, and in bear country most state agencies want seed feeders down from around April.
What changes in springFall
Migration moves through, goldfinches turn drab and people assume they have gone, and feeder traffic gets unpredictable as natural food peaks.
When feeders come downWinter
High-fat foods matter most, suet comes into its own, and open water is often harder for birds to find than food is.
Winter feedingHow this site is written
American sources, for American yards
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Project FeederWatch, NestWatch, Audubon, US Fish & Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies and university extension services. Cited at the foot of every article.
No testing we did not do
We have not put every feeder in a yard for a season, so we do not say we have. Recommendations are built on published specifications, independent testing by others, and what the design does — and we say which.
Where the money comes from
Amazon commissions on some links. Pages about sick birds, found nestlings and birds nesting in your house carry no links at all — someone reading those needs help, not a shopping list.