Shop by bird

Cardinals like a wide, steady perch and face their food, so trays, hoppers and platforms beat narrow tube ports. Safflower is their favorite seed.

Chickadees grab one seed and fly off to eat it, so almost any feeder works. A nest box with a 1-1/8 inch hole suits them in spring.

The only feeder bird that climbs head-first down a trunk. Suet, peanuts and sunflower hearts keep nuthatches visiting all winter.

Woodpeckers brace with their tails. A tail-prop suet feeder lets larger species like red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers feed comfortably.

Goldfinches, house finches and siskins want small seed: nyjer and sunflower chips in mesh or small-port tube feeders.

Bluebirds rarely eat seed. Offer mealworms in a dish feeder and put up a box with a 1-1/2 inch hole facing open lawn.

Wrens will nest in almost anything with a small hole. A 1-1/8 inch entrance keeps house sparrows out.

Orioles come for orange halves, grape jelly and nectar. Put feeders out the first week of May — early arrivals decide where to stay.

Mix 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water with no dye or honey, and change it every 2–3 days in warm weather.

Jays carry off whole peanuts to cache. A wreath or platform of in-shell peanuts keeps them busy and away from smaller feeders.

Juncos and native sparrows feed on the ground. A low platform or ground tray near shrubs suits them best.

Doves feed on the ground and on wide trays. Platform feeders with millet and cracked corn bring them in.

Robins seldom eat seed. Fruit, mealworms and a shallow bath bring them to the yard.