Starlings can drive more desirable birds like woodpeckers away from suet feeders. Foil them with a baffle.
For those of us who feed birds, there’s nothing more frustrating than a flock of so-called bully birds descending on our backyard feeders. Not only do they eat the feeders clean in minutes, but their aggressive behavior also can discourage some of our favorite songbirds.
That’s why controlling these species is one of the most common concerns among many Birds & Blooms readers. Reader Georgia Wacker of Canton, Ohio wrote to ask for a solution to keep blackbirds and grackles from pillaging her bird feeders. In Steger, Illinois, Mrs. Joseph Kraus says an invading swarm of house sparrows is eating her out of house and home. And European starlings are ruffling Wayne Taylor’s feathers. These non-native birds are frightening away more desirable species from his Bethlehem, Pennsylvania yard.
Bully birds include blackbirds, grackles, pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows. The last three are non-native species and are not protected by law. These hungry avian invaders are often attracted to a yard by the cheap wild birdseed mix or suet that’s made available on the ground or in easy-access feeders. If you’re one of the people frustrated by the behavior of bully birds in your backyard, don’t give up the fight. Here are some solutions that will help you keep these pest birds at bay, so you can continue feeding the birds you love.
Avoid corn at feeders, which bully birds love. Offer nyjer thistle to bring in plenty of finches instead. Linda Flickinger
Lock Out Bully Birds
Because virtually all bully birds are larger than more desirable birds, you can adapt your feeders to accommodate only smaller species. Try enclosing the feeders with large-mesh hardware cloth or chicken wire with openings big enough to allow smaller birds to pass through (a 2-inch opening should do). This will exclude the large bully birds. You can also purchase caged-in tube or tray feeders at your local bird, hardware or garden store. Just be sure to get one with the feeder portion located several inches inside the cage, so bullies can’t reach the seed with their long bills.
Outwit Starlings
European starlings have a fondness for suet. Foil them by hanging the suet up and under a domed squirrel baffle. Starlings are reluctant to go underneath any kind of cover and usually will avoid the hard-to-reach meal. A special starling-proof feeder, in which the suet can be eaten only from underneath, is also available in bird stores.
Keep It Clean
Some backyard birders have the greatest problems with bully birds that eat the cast-off seeds below hanging and post feeders. Pigeons are notorious for gathering in flocks underneath feeders for their meals. The solution for this problem is to collect the fallen seeds in a deep container, such as a plastic garbage can or pail, that the pest birds cannot or will not get into. You can make a hole in the center of the container and place it right on your feeder pole.
Selective Feeding
Generally, bully birds prefer bread, corn, millet, wheat and sunflower seeds. To get rid of them, supply food they won’t eat. To feed finches, fill hanging tube feeders with only nyjer seed (thistle). For cardinals, chickadees and nuthatches, provide safflower seed in hopper or tray feeders. If you do this, grackles, crows and blackbirds generally will look elsewhere for the foods they like.
detourgirl says
you forgot to mention cowbirds. these parasites have killed off our meadowlarks, and most of our thrushes. they get shot on site. they are smart, sending a scout to see if we are watching. they used their tactics in the days of the old west, and that was fair, but not now. they deserve what they get
Brenda D says
You said it exactly.i wish they,the starlings and house sparrows would all just vanish from this earth permanently!!!
Nancyblue says
I, too, have a problem with cowbirds and they do seem to be smart. They also get shot at in my yard, but seem to keep multiplying! I enjoy watching the cardinals come to my feeder, but then the cowbirds come and take over.
Jessie says
What do you use to shoot them with and where can I buy it? I have small BB gun that just bounces off of them and An air rifle which seems to
Be too
Much 🙁
mike says
Jessie, i had a squirrel problem and bought a 1200 fps GAMO pellet rifle with a scope. in the last six months I have killed over 50 squirrels and guess what? I STILL have a squirrel problem!! but I have culled the herd and not nearly as many.
Janis Wright says
We shoot sparrows and starlings – anything that comes after the bluebirds or native birds is going to get blown away
Patty M/ says
I thought it was against the law to shoot/kill any song birds. “Good” or”bad”.
John says
Only those birds protected under the Migratory Bird Act which protects native birds but not invasives suck as European Starlings and House (English) Sparrows. Cowgirls are protected.
Amy says
I love sparrows.I am in a nightmare since my neighbor has brought in 60 horses and cows, they’ve pecked through my roof edges and made nests all over my house not to mention all the gofers’ ugh I love my birds so much and the chirp for more food,I’m filling up so many places just so they get a chance
Lynne says
Iam really shocked that multiple commenters are resorting to shooting and killing birds they don’t like! There are other ways to solve these problems besides resorting to killing!
Bonnie says
I agree with you on killing ANY birds you don’t like. You did not include any solutions thank you
julie says
you guys are horrible! life is life…who gets to decide who lives or dies!!!!!!
ANN says
who gets to decide that i MUST feed birds that i do NOT choose to feed?! that also goes for humans, but that’s another whole day’s topic.
Jennifer says
Hey everyone! I think I might have found the answer to keep the bully birds away! I put up – no kidding! – about 16 mylar colorful, shiny, glittery windmills (the kind kids play with) on all my feeders (many!) and also 2 somewhat large colorful ground whirly-gigs.It looks and sounds like a carnival out there! I have had NO blackbirds, starlings, grackles, crows or doves since! But all the ‘good’ birds have stuck around- orioles, goldfinches, rose-breasted grossbeaks, cardinals, downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers and indigo buntings! I am amazed! I’d heard that the bully birds don’t like the sound of mylar strips blowing in the wind so decided to try these. The ‘good birds’ not only don’t mind them – they even sit on the stick part and watch them go ’round & ’round, occaisonally even poking at them if they’re not blowing. Meanwhile, the bully birds sit in the trees scolding and have swooped down attempting to land but can’t (or are too scared). I LOVE IT!! Try this!
Grani says
Hahahaha I hope this works for me. I have trouble with Beautiful very annoying and bullying Bluejays! I have noticed they don’t like to be around when I’m outside definitely try this activity scaredy-cats I’m going to have fun fun with this thank you!
Ellie W says
I’m so eager to try this, but I’m unclear on one thing; what do you mean by “Ground Whirly-Gigs?” Can you describe? You mentioned they dont like the sound of the mylar strips & i dont remember the windmills having those, so it must be the whirly-gigs?!? Thanks so much!
SUE says
trying this now… I googled whirly – gigs they show a picture, I bought 2 packs for $1.50 at a dollar store.
fingers crossed.
Vivian Dibrell says
Did it work?
Laurel says
Do you have any photos? I’d love to do what you did
Jeannie says
Jennifer I love your balloon idea. Will get some tomorrow. I feel sad depriving the cardinals of their daily repast
[email protected] says
I learned how to attract bluebirds to my new feeder in new southern home.however, a mean catbird chases them and all other small birds away. Help.
Mikki
Violet Foster says
Are there any foods that robins like, but crows dislike? I’m trying to feed my robins with dried meal worms, nuts and fruits which they really seem to enjoy, but the crows keep swooping down and eating most of it before they get a chance to enjoy much of it…
jean knott says
starlings have learned to like nyjer seeds and some have mastered hanging upside down to get to my bottem feed suet block
geezergene says
I have a big major problem with numerous bluejays!!!
Barb says
I enjoy the blue jays. I put peanuts out and watch them dive for them. My cat is well entertained by them.
besparkle says
I also love the blue jays and feed them a couple handfuls of peanuts every morning. The blackbirds are the ones giving me the most trouble. They’ll go through 3 cakes of suet per day if I’m not there to shew them away. 🙁
Cheryl says
I too love feeding the blue jays, just do not like feeding the black birds or doves. I have a special suet cage where they have to crawl in to the cage to eat the suet and the bigger birds can not get it to eat it, just mostly the smaller birds. I like feeding all birds, though and I can sit for hours just watching them, I hate to see the hawk come and try and catch my little song birds though! If I could kill any bird it would be the hawks !
Rob says
The way to deter hawks is to place your feeder close to trees. I’ve seen songbirds fly through the limbs and hawks get frustrated trying to catch them.
Joe says
You mention a baffle, like the one pictured, but don’t provide instructions on how to build it.
Elizabeth says
Home Depot sells a baffle kit for about $10.00. Like a clear dome that you slide on the pole, but it wobbles so the squirrels and bigger birds cannot get on top or squirrels cannot climb up from underneath. The catch can underneath might solve my problem as we are on the edge of woods.
Mary Thorne says
I have one on my feeder and the squirrels manage to jump on right under it.
Judy says
We have a feeder on a long arm clamped to the deck rail, which can swing out over the yard. We hang two domes from the hook at the end of the arm, one above the other, with about 8-10 in between them. the feeder hangs below the double domes. Squirrels run out along the arm, sit on top of the upper dome, but can’t reach far enough to get past the lower dome and reach the feeder. Poor things…SOOOO frustrated! 😉
Honey says
That hits the target dead ceretn! Great answer!
Elaine says
My bully birds are hawks that swoop down on the feeder to try and get the unwary bird. What can I do about them?
Amber says
I have found that cultivating a presence of crows and ravens deters the presence of hawks; this is because crows will actively chase off the raptors that come by to eat your songbirds. I provide a dedicated spot for my crows and ravens on the opposite end of the yard from my bird feeders, and I throw out all leftover food there. They are particularly fond of meat and pie crust. On days when I have no food to discard for them, I toss out a handful of peanuts. The crows and ravens don’t visit feeders, don’t chase off songbirds, and don’t monopolize my yard in flocks. These factors combined with their anti-hawk sentiments make them a favorite of mine when dealing with certain bully birds.
Stephen S. says
I’ve seen crows take their own toll; raiding birds’ nests to take and eat the young.
Lin Geenty says
Amber, doesn’t the leftover food attract raccoons? We have a problem with those. But I am going through wayyy too much bird seed with the crowds of Grackles that come every day!
Beth Hammond says
A squirrel baffle above your feeder may help.
SUZANNE says
My starlings eat out of my tray. During the winter I give them their own suet made with bacon grease and a lot of seeds their not supposed to like. So how do I keep feeding my jays peanuts?
Kim C. says
I have tried everything including buying one of the upside down feeder for my little downy woodpeckers. The starlings in my yard merely laughed at my “special starling-proof feeder, in which the suet can be eaten only from underneath” …those son of a guns got under my feeder and “jumped up” about 6 ft and grabbed beak fulls of suet!!! My poor little downy just finally gave up… 🙁
Linda says
To deter starlings from your upside down suet feeder try hanging light twine from the corners of the feeder. The starlings don’t seem to like the strings touching their wings,but the little downeys are unfazed.
Cynthia says
This works amazingly well!!! The starlings are so frustrated but the downy and hairy woodpeckers and the titmouse are totally unfazed by the strings! Thanks so much!!!
Vince says
I cut out a section of chicken wire and suspend it below the upside down suet feeder using small chain on the four corners. That keeps the crows and other pests fro getting to the suet cake.
K says
Can u post a pic of said contraption? LOL. Having a hard time picturing. Thx!
Rose Rothermel says
How do you keep Blue Jays from coming and scaring all the birds and don’t leave until they have everything empty? I have to keep opening the door and yelling at them but they just keep returning!
Amber says
It’s illegal to kill blue jays, but it’s not illegal to shoot a BB gun at them. They are one of the most stubborn birds I have ever encountered, but you can try to be just as stubborn. Alternately, I have found that if you provide one place for them to eat but scare them off of your actual bird feeders, that they can be more cooperative. Blue jays will come and eat food (mostly the peanuts) that I throw out for ravens and crows….since this is at the other end of my yard from the bird feeders it’s not as problematic if I see them there, and by not chasing them away from this one spot they learn to avoid the feeders more often and go for the raven food instead.
Mary says
We offer nothing but nijer and safflower seed. Sparrows, grackles, and blackbirds STILL flock to our feeders! 🙁
Karen says
I was going to try safflower to limit house sparrows! Not so much?!
Jaime says
No, they will eat it no problem and so will starlings and their juveniles.
Ruth says
The bully birds don’t come any more with the “safflower seed only” diet I offer. BUT, it appears the songbirds aren’t fond of it either. Is there a particular brand that’s better than another?
Sandra paul says
I starting putting only safflower seed and nyjer thistle about a week ago only about 1/3 of nyjer is gone but no finches or other song birds. Very few of the cardinals show up. It safflower seed is empty When I went to refill I noticed most of the seed is on the ground. How long do you wait til songbirds and cardinals come back. Buying this seed seems like a waste of time and dollarst
James says
To get rid of the house sparrows I make to pieces of plexiglass. Cut a one and a half inch hole in one and the second leave blank. I then nail the one with the hole on first and the second one over that with a screw. Then I make a little hole off centered on top and tie a fishing line in that and bring the other end into the house and when the both of them get in ,I pull the sring and walla I got both of them. I then dispose of thm. In early spring when just the male is around I capture him. The males are vicious and kill any bird in the birdhouse. .
julie says
cruel! who kills birds!!!!
Evelyn Ball says
I feed whatever birds come to my yard. I don’t discriminate. They all are interesting in their own way. That is nature and it should be accepted.
Keri says
I agree with you!! I like to feed any bird:)
Lauren says
So do I, but as my feeder becomes more popular, it is becoming prohibitively expensive, not to mention that I see flocks of big birds scare away the smaller birds who are forced to retreat from the fights that inevitably occur between the big birds.
Evelyn Ball says
Limit the amount of food you put out, that is what I am doing. We have three acres so I have feeders scattered all over so the birds have different places to eat. Also you could stop feeding for a week and then the larger birds will go away. However they will probably come back again.
joanne says
The starlings have ruined our roof, and have chased off all the other birds. I have had to quit feeding and enjoying any birds, and we have to have parts of our roof repaired. I will kill those little monsters if I get a chance…they are costing us a fortune, and living up to their ‘bully’ name. They are destroyers, and get what’s coming. They drove out the little birds that were nesting and took over their nest. I hate them.
Karen says
Read about house sparrows & how they’re driving other birds away and kill other nesting birds & babies. Google the harm caused by overpopulation of these aggressive birds.
Lauren says
I like to feed any bird too. I see no reason for discrimination. However, I do feel a bit sad when the big bully birds drive away the smaller birds. Maybe I’ll make a separate feeding post for the small birds that use seed feeders that are inaccessible to big birds.
Amber says
I agree with you to an extent…when dealing with a non-native bird species (like starlings or house sparrows) that have been artificially introduced into an environment, that’s not natural. That’s intervention and requires subsequent intervention to correct. Any birder worth his or her salt will at least chase off house sparrows and starlings…better even to try to kill them.
Evelyn Ball says
I feed whatever birds are around. Blame our own species for starlings and house sparrows. They introduced them to North America. I try to live with nature. If they bother you stop feeding for a while. It’s amazing how our species kills whatever inconveniences them. How about how humans inconvenience other species? Do we do anything about that? No.
Doug says
I have a mocking bird that does not feed at the feeders but chases everything away from the feeders,even the squirrels. I’m am fixing to shoot him. Any other answeres.
Adrian Snare says
Any bird that chases away squirrels is a friend of mine .. the collateral damage .. well , that is the price !
John says
Evelyn, you talk like animals are our equals. They are not.
Steph says
Animals just want to live the best life they can, the same as humans. Who are humans to say animals aren’t as valuable? Humans have caused more harm to the earth and people more than other species. It’s best to respect all beings, not just the ones we like.
Taleithia says
Exactly!! Humans cause more harm and destruction than any other animal on earth. All life is equally deserving of a safe and healthy place to live. Humans seem to want to reserve that right for themselves far too often.
James says
I agree with Amber. DO NOT ENCOURAGE the non-natives. You only harm the native bird by doing so.
Jaime says
The problem is it’s not nature because you’re modifying it by putting a feeder or a house, so that makes you responsible for the birds that you’re caring for.
Cheryl says
Well said Jaime. I am new to bird feeder and the like and have already found it expensive to keep up with the feeders. We, my husband and I, bought top of the line feeders and feed from Wild Birds Unlimited. I guess I should have took their name literal. I hate to go buy other feeders just to keep out the bullies. I wish they would have warned us newbies. Any suggestions to modify the giant hopper WBU sales?
Brenna says
Well I don’t put that all that seed out to be eaten clean by a swarm of blackbirds in just minutes. They were all I had for a while, screeching blackbirds- hundreds of them. I would love to see variety but they run out everything else! I could go through my 40 lb bag of seed in less than a week if I kept feeding them. But I’ve stopped putting out seed altogether. That seems to be the only solution. Now the blackbirds are gone and little songbirds sing and forage often in my yard.
NHjunco says
I’m at my wits’ end. Cowbird/grackle (?) flocks are swarming my birds. hundreds. thousands fly overhead, heading to farms. I see them rising from the far forest in absolutely enormous raucous flocks that tumble overhead to some inland place, and then return in evening. Its bad in early fall and early spring. But it seems worse this year.
I bag a stick against something to sound like a gunshot, off they go, leaving my regular birds looking relieved, surprised, and finally eating. But the minute I’m back inside, they descend on all the bare areas of this small non-working farm. They wait and watch until I fill feeders. All day they scream and squawk and fight each other. I hoped they’d move on, as they do when the fields around here open, but not yet– and its so early! My dozen mourning doves are gone. I used to have over 50 birds I knew, and many others. What can I do?
Anyone at all know how to feed ground-feeders like my mourning doves and beloved juncos, without grackles? I didn’t feed for a whole week of nice weather. No grackles, the minute i re-fed, back they came. Help!! sorry going on so long, but its awful!
NHjunco says
oh, also– I used to dislike bluejays. Now I consider them home birds. They’re not around at all anymore…
richard howell says
I like my bluejays, chickadees, woodpeckers, doves and others, but the blackbirds I dislike. They come in groups and eat all our seed.
James says
Same here. The starlings chased them all off.
Lynn says
Try just putting out small finch mix seed (like millet and nyjer). The doves and juncos will eat that but not so much the larger birds. Use a tube feeder too with smaller holes.
James says
I put out a small finch mix and the starlings vacuum it up like it’s going out of style. They don’t leave until it’s all gone and the little birds have nothing left.
Judy says
I can’t keep the black birds away!! I quit feeding for a whole week…my beautiful cardinals are all but gone & so are my finches. I have some hummingbirds now and they even seem to be bothered. I have about 50-75 big black birds!!! I will try some of the recommendations but I don’t think I will make a special spot for black birds
Jaime says
Don’t because it will keep them around. Just put out nyger and safflower.
Ruth E says
Finch feeders have been successful in the spring and summer, but I guess the yellow finches migrate south come fall? And any particular brand safflower seed? Since I went with that, the bully birds have disappeared but the desirable songbirds aren’t much impressed, either.
Jesse K says
Male goldfinches molt and change color in the fall, so they may still be around but not the same bright yellow color you’re used to.
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_goldfinch
Karen Casey says
I have had my issues with grackles within the past 3 weeks. I work during the day and come home to an empty tube feeder every day in the spring. I do feed the Jays as I think they are so smart and cool….peanuts. They love them and seem to leave the feeder birds alone. I also have the crow family that comes for their daily turkey hot dogs. Backing off on the peanuts and hotdogs now that spring is finally here. ;o)
joanie says
I have 50-100 white ringed doves, eating me out of food!! Would love to feed all birds, but can’t afford to! I used to love feeding, my small song
birds, woodpeckers, titmouse, & blue scrub, even squirrels!! I stopped putting out seed, all together, hoping the doves, leave the area! Any other hints, would be appreciated!!
Judy says
Go to Office Depot or Walmart and buy plastic crates for files. Put over your feeder. Block area where handles are and the doves and larger birds can’t get to the food. I went from 30-40 doves down to 1 in 3 days
Sharon says
Some of the “bullies” will always be around to eat what falls from the feeders. The feeders themselves are really important. The RollerFeeder is great for just the small birds. The All Weather Feeder with the squirrel guard will bring the small birds. There’s a company in Indiana that makes a squirrel/starling proof suet feeder that Wild Birds Unlimited sells. I’ve heard it referred to as the Fort Knox of suet feeders. It works!
Jeanette Rose says
I live in Alaska and I have a great problem with the brutal “magpie” they have chased, terrorized, or killed, they even get into the nests and eat the eggs, the birds that would come to the neighborhood are gone, if they do come in the spring they are soon attacked by magpies. What can we do? the magpies are protected here 🙁
dorie says
Juncos are driving me nuts all year long. They fly to my feeders 40 – 50 at a time, eat everything in the feeders and on the ground. I have caged the feeders with chicken wire, some wire with 2″ openings and some smaller openings, and wired the bottom ends closed too. Still the juncos get in a eat everything.
I haven’t found a way to keep them out.
James says
Funny. I like juncos but haven’t seen one for years. I always found them to be ground feeders, never saw one in my feeder. You sure they are juncos?
Viola Lee says
I have Juncos and this winter marks the very first time I’ve seen them at the feeders. They’ve been on the ground for as long as I can remember – and that’s more than a few decades.
And I want to add that I’m glad I’m not the only one with bully birds. Last year I asked a lady at the store where I get my seed what she does about all the grackles and she replied “I feed them”.
Hah, yeah well, me too … unfortunately.
Karen says
the more I read about the HOSPs that are driving me nuts, the more I think it’s time to buy a trap. Some people even buy them as food for snakes & such.
Annette says
Watch a you tube video of the male European house sparrow entering a nestbox of a native sweet Eastern Bluebird, pecking the babies and the parent to death. Then building a nest on top of them. The aggressive nature of the house sparrow and the starling has led to a serious decline in the number of birds who were originaly here, and are a serious threat to several of the native American species of birds. The English House Sparrow and the European starling are now the most numerous birds in America. They now outnumber all of the original American birds. The you tube video makes it apparent as to why.
Loretta Brown says
annette, thank you for information on the invasive house sparrows and starlings. I agree whole heartedly these birds need to be destroyed when nesting in bird boxes. I killed many house sparrows this past summer, destroyed their eggs killed their young. These birds are destroying our Native American birds. Nothing cute about them. I will continue to exterminate them.
barb says
Yep.
Barb Miller says
I do agree that all birds deserve food. But it is frustrating to watch the starlings eat all of the suet in two days while I hardly ever see the red bellied woodpecker anymore. The starlings have even eaten cat food and leftover fried chicken that we set out for the opposum/raccoon/whatever stray cat that comes by. We’ve watched them do it- whoever heard of a bird eating fried chicken? If I can modify my feeder in some way, I’ll try it. But if the starling is too big to fit through chicken wire, so is the woodpecker…
Bobbie says
We have a bully dove. Never had one before. He doesn’t want to eat, he just fights any other bird(including other dove) who come near the feeder. Any suggestions?
James says
I surrounded my tube feeder with 2″ wire mesh as you suggested. Next time I looked out, the the space between the chicken wire and the feeder was filled with starlings. It didn’t even slow them down.
The feeder is under a dome, so going underneath is not a deterrent to them.
I changed the seed mix to one that is free of the favorites you mention, and there is no suet. The starlings (and only the starlings) come anyway.
I am beginning to think that a shotgun would be the best defense.
Jeri says
Our town here in Central Nebraska was overrun with thousands of starlings. They would roost in our spruce trees overnight and were noisy as heck. We used to dry shoot the pellet rifle because it made a noise and scared them out of the trees for a time. We also banged on pans to scatter them from the trees. They are noisy, nasty birds. Luckily, our city knows where the majority hang out during the day and have a poison that only affects starlings and nothing else. But, they roost in our trees after eating it and then in a day or so, they die and just drop over, wherever they are. We picked up a couple bags of them from in and around the spruce trees, with gloves on. We haven’t had them in any large numbers since then.
julie says
are you kidding me??? poisoning birds now….what next….evil people in this world!
joanne says
I wish I knew what that stuff was and if our town could get it! They eat the grain by the thousands, and kill our local birds. People that don’t understand exterminating starlings don’t live in the country or try to grow food for the world….
Steph says
It’s cruel to kill anything just for existing. There are always humane options. There’s birth control seed for birds. Males can be neutered. Or you could look into universities or organizations that may house any sparrows you might live trap so that they can live out their lives without adding to the population. It’s not the birds’ faults that they’re here.
Laurel says
Birth control bird seed? Is there an address where I can make an inquiry?its difficult to think that there is a seed that only starlings will eat
Rachel says
Rollerfeeder solved my squirrel and sparrow problems 🙂 the squirrels CAN’T get the food, which is hilarious, for the sparrows they show you how to put a few bits of fishing line on the feeder- worked like a charm. I also figured out how to stop the chipmunks from climbing in on my shepherd’s hooks, I put slinkies on the hook 🙂
I’ve seen some juncos join with my house finches and and goldfinches this winter, first time I have seen the juncos…. and I guess they don’t really join, each of the birds chases off the others before they dine.
A get a woodpecker every so often, seems to miss the pedestal but gets the food in an awkward downward peck.
I have never seen a cardinal eat from the feeder. Some visit the yard, scavenge from what falls but they never eat from the feeder. Haven’t seen one yet this winter.
Some blue jays pigeons even a crow visited this summer as well, but can’t eat from the feeder.
Love the roller feeders 🙂
Natalie says
Where do you buy a roller feeder?
Rachel says
Oh and I should have said, I am in SE PA and have been using only shelled sunflower seeds, and no starlings here 🙂
Carolyn says
We have 9 inches of snow on the ground and had subzero temps last night – a record here in Kentucky. I’ve never had problems with blackbirds or starlings on the hanging feeders under my porch soffit until now. I’m using sunflower and premium finch mix, plus a homemade peanut butter/suet mix many birds love. I made the mistake of putting a cheaper mix in an area some distance from the house, thinking it would keep the undesirable birds away.. Now there are more than a hundred blackbirds, and today starlings arrived and started eating from the hanging porch feeders. I am now feeding the cardinals (I counted 30 cardinals a couple of days ago), finches, and other small birds on a table just outside the bay window and on the porch itself, which is very messy, but the only way they can get anything to eat. I also put mealworms there and many songbirds are eating them.
My dogs lie on the bay window seat and bark when lots of blackbirds gather near the porch, which scatters them temporarily. They never bark at the songbirds eating a few inches away on the table, just watch!
I wish I knew how to get rid of the starlings and blackbirds. I feel guilty even killing a spider, but if I had a gun I would be tempted to use it on those pesky birds!
Lucinda says
My cat (supervised) provides the same function! Scarecrow! (See separate comment). 9 feet of snow in Boston has made it impossible to clean up seed detritus under the feeder and I believe has contributed to larger than usual flocks of crows! I tried safflower seed but my cardinals left! Between that and the crows I reverted back to sunflower seeds and they came back but they are messy! The cat is the only thing that works but when he comes in back come the crows! I feel your pain! There doesn’t seem to be a permanent solution if we want to feed the rest of the population.
Carolyn says
The article gave some good suggestions, but right now I’m iced and snowed in on a rural road which has not been plowed, and I have a very long driveway, so I can’t go anywhere to buy different feed or feeders right now! I have enough to last several more days. (Normally it would have lasted the rest of the winter!)
Bluejasmine says
You mention grackles being bully birds. Grackles aren’t in the blackbird family and their habits are not anything like blackbirds. Grackles are in the Icterid family with orioles and other medium sized songbirds. Their numbers are dwindling due to habitat loss. Grackles are welcome at my feeders as they do not bother other birds in the least.
Jeri says
Grackles are in great numbers here in Central Nebraska. No shortage whatsoever! They push eggs and babies out of other birds’ nests and drop their poop in my birdbath when they clean out their nests. Plus it is all over my deck, around my garden pond, on my house, driveway, sidewalk and any vehicles parked in the driveways. Because it’s illegal to shoot any type of projectile where we live, we just pump the air rifle and shoot it without pellets and it makes a pop sound that scares them off the deck for a while.
Elizabeth says
My dad used to use a good slingshot to scare away squirrels on the bird feeder or the bully birds. In one home, I had a second floor deck so I hung the feeders from a high tree limb. It solved a lot of problems.
Marielle says
I have a huge flock of Red Winged Blackbirds that move around the area, but there are a few of them that are regulars at my feeders which don’t bother me. One thing to watch out for, that I learned about this year, are the Rusty Blackbirds that are frequently mixed in with blackbird flocks. They are declining rapidly, so if you have blackbirds and plan on ‘controlling’ them, make sure you look out for these rarities!
Lucinda says
fed songbirds for years until last years when large flock of crows and starlings moved in. They are already back this year. I tried safflower and nijer but no finches and had a year without my cardinals until I brought back the sunflower seeds.
I have no problem feeding doves, jays and sparrows or even starlings and grackles but crows are vicious. The only thing that keeps them at bay is my elderly cat! He is old and slow and well known to the smaller birds. His time on the porch is closely overseen by me. He is never out alone because of the birds who feed happily close by. All but the crows who are terrified of him! Thankfully!
Sandy says
I have tried everything mentioned except the full proof suet feeder suggested. The blackbirds and grackles eat any seed in any type of feeder. I too bang on windows and they come back as soon as I leave. Not to discriminate, but it is cost prohibitive and messy. They have their own house feeder with corn, but they come to the deck and eat thistle and safflower seed.
MJ says
I have problems with territorial mockingbirds. They sit and chas off any bird from the feeder. I hand Mylar streamers or old CD’s from my feeder and bring in suet and ny food with berries. Seems to deter them during nesting season.
Jason says
Got my first Suet protector/starling repeller feeder. Within 2 days, the Starlings were hanging upside down eating from it. The feeder forces birds to have to hang upside down to eat as advertised, but the Starlings figured it out pretty quickly. Nothing keeps those things away.
Marg says
About the bully birds, my grandma used to say, “they’re hungry too.”
Doug says
Lowes sells a bird feeder that keeps squirrel
out. It is red and black ,made of tin and it also works on larger birds. I have a lot of red wing blackbirds and the can not feed from it and they get tired and leave. Plu they can’t even land on it because it is so slick
Robin says
I have one of those suet feeders that you can only access from the bottom. I can tell you that MY crazy starlings STILL get to it ! They fly up and down under it …. all the while pecking at the suet…. CAN’T seem to outsmart them !!
Patsy says
The sparrows learned the same trick. It is irritating.
But last late-winter, the Robins learned to jump up and snag a bite of the suet. I didn’t mind that,,,Spring wasn’t coming soon enough!
Janice says
I have far fewer blackbirds and starlings with safflower seed. But you always have some. I used to get so many house sparrows they would empty my feeder in hours. They eat anything. But now I have none on my feeders. I have tube feeders with large domes over them. I driled holes on the edge of the domes and hung hobby wire with large metal nuts hanging from them. Have the wire hang the entire length of the feeder. It freeks out the hosp, but the native birds are not bothered at all. But it does not deter blackbirds. But if you are bothered by hosp, try it.!
Max T. Furr says
I built a 16 ft. high squirrel proof suit pole with three cage feeders. Winter goes well with frequent visits by woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice.
In the spring, however, the black birds arrive. They easily perched on top of the feeders to eat from the one overhead. I lowered the pole and constructed a roof for each feeder. Didn’t work. I engineered a semi parabolic roof on which they could not stand, but then they’ve learned to actually land (with a bit of difficulty) directly on the wire of the suit cage.
Much of the time they cannot hold on for long, but just enough time to grab a beak full (or two or three), and then drop to the ground. As they keep going back up for more, it takes them two days to empty the feeders.
I’m at wit’s end. I didn’t like it, but now I have to get my inaccurate air rifle and keep watch as much as possible. As I am an expert marksman, I rue the fact that I miss most of the time. I need to buy an accurate one.
Max T. Furr says
I forgot to mention that I have red bellied woodpeckers every bit as large as the blackbirds. So, I cannot place a two inch square wire mesh around the feeders. Also, I’m trying to lure the large pileated woodpeckers to the pole.
Kris says
I’m going to cut the pegs shorter on my tube feeder, the starlings are going after food in them that’s not even for song birds. My mother in law uses the bad of food from SAMs Club and she has no problems with them at her feeders, except for the suet. So I’ll be trying that in a few days when I need more food.
Judy says
Look above for answer. They put reply under wrong comment
Mark says
In my neck of the woods (Wroclaw, Poland) the biggest problem are Hooded Crows, whose population in the city has risen rapidly for the last 5 years. In spring they just eat up the chicks of many birds (especially Mallards) and it is a real slaughter – nothing is done to protect their victims. Starlings don’t spend winter in the city, so they don’t cause any problems. In winter I myself hang nutbags on my balcony, which prevents House Sparrows, Crows, Rooks, Magpies and Feral Pigeons from eating the food (people feed them in front of our house on a special platform). My feeder is visited by Great and Blue Titmice, and by Greenfinches at times.
Mary says
I had a problem with Starlings. They would
overwhelm everything in the yard. One day
I used a large white towel, shook it at them
and I haven’t seen them in weeks.
PigeonFancier says
Every bird is welcome to come to my yard and eat the food I put out for them. I’m surprised that as bird lovers, so many of these comments are advocating shooting, harming, or depriving what you call an “undesirable bird” of much needed food over the winter. Shame on you.
james day says
Mourning doves are pigeons ! How can I get rid of them??? I have all cool colorful birds…
Steph says
Mourning doves have a very calming “coo” so I personally don’t mind them.
If you really don’t want them around, put feeders in areas where a bird of their size can’t land from above. For instance I have my feeders dispersed between tall shrubs, some thorny. This makes it difficult for large birds to be able to land even if they’re able to fly in a horizontal line. I use this type of positioning for the protection of the small birds from hawks (though this was preemptive as I’ve never had that issue). I’ve observed that my mourning doves are not able to land on even tray feeders with this setup. Sometimes they try, one made it to a tray feeder twice and I was in awe. I think they’re beautiful so I feed them on the ground
Which brings up the second method, make sure no seed falls on the ground. They have things that you can buy for that.
Jana says
If you have the Starling trouble best feeder to use if you still want to feed suet for your other birds is the Sandwich Log. If any of you are in the Facebook birding groups I have a flyer for those feeders posted in the files in those groups along with my homemade suet recipe. #2 choice I will say is the #5547 Squirrel Proof Double Suet Feeder. Then the squirrels are unable to feed off of the bottom. This one has saved me a lot of money since I have purchased it 1-2 years ago now that the squirrels are not able to feed off of the bottom. I switched from using just a double upside down suet feeder that would hold 2 cakes to this. The squirrels are able to feed off of the double or single upside down ones. 3rd choice I would say is the Log Jammer Hard Wood Suet feeder, Item #5000, but then you will need the SB5 Extra Large Green Metal Baffle and the #199 Create a Haven for around the log. The Starlings are still able to get at the log some but not as bad as just an all-open square cake. If you ever get a large tree cut down hanging a Sandwich on a tall snag will encourage the Pileated’s and other woodpeckers to “play” with a tall snag.
Marsha smith says
I feed dry mealworms to the bluebirds, and the starlings love them. Any ideas on how to keep them away. Usually, try to watch the feeder and shoo them away, but can’t always be there.
Kathy says
What about Squirrels? I have a definite squirrel problem. Any suggestions ?
Kljukkala says
I’ve had problems with just about every type of bully bird and squirrel there is…currently battling a flock of Starlings that will not leave my feeders alone. However, my squirrel problem is over now that I put a baffle on my feeder pole. Don’t bother with the small cheap baffles at Lowe’s or such stores, I got mine from Wild Birds Unlimited and it works wonders. Watching the squirrels try to get up my feeder pole is quite entertaining, now! I believe you can also find the same baffle, or similar one, on Amazon. It is an Audubon brand one
joygirl says
We bought safflower seed yesterday. I’ve been sitting here watching the bully birds come to the feeder and pull out the safflower seed and then drop it on the ground. The cardinals don’t like it. They’re eating the old sunflower seeds that have dropped on the ground and a squirrel is now hanging upside down on the feeder enjoying every bit of it. We think we just wasted about $10.
Ann Hudson says
Get a Bully Bird Bouncer ™ as soon as they become available. See it on YouTube, search bully bird bouncer, or email [email protected].
Nancy says
I didn’t realize that red-winged black birds hang out with grackles and black birds. The 3 of them have ganged up with a flock of 8 blue jays and a gaggle of sparrows and now I have very few songbirds now. I am going to stop feeding for a while and get the cages to put over my feeders and see if that helps I get so many of the bully birds at once I feel like I’m in a horror movie sometimes!
Nancy says
One other question I have is how do you keep the sparrows from feeding at a feeder with a cage to keep the larger birds out?
Denise says
I have Steller’s Jays emptying my suet feeder within hours! They aren’t letting the woodpeckers at my suet and I am going through suet like crazy! I do feed them peanuts, but they are such pigs that I would go through many bags of peanuts a day if I fed them as much as they beg for! Any suggestions on how to keep the Jays from my suet feeder? I have small Downy Woodpeckers and even large Flickers that would love a chance at the feeder and I would love to see them there! Thanks in advance!