How to Keep Squirrels and Unwanted Birds Off Your Feeder

A busy feeder attracts more than songbirds. Squirrels can empty one in a day, while starlings, grackles and pigeons can crowd out smaller birds. A combination of hardware, placement and food choice usually solves the problem.

Add a squirrel baffle

A baffle is a dome, cone or cylinder that stops squirrels from climbing a pole. Fit it below the feeder, mounted on the pole so that squirrels cannot jump onto it from nearby branches or fences.

Move the feeder

Keep a feeder at least 10 feet (3 meters) from any point a squirrel can jump from, including trees, fences, railings and roofs. Hanging feeders should sit on a wire or pole that squirrels cannot reach.

Use squirrel-resistant feeders

Feeders with weight-sensitive perches close their seed ports when a heavy squirrel lands. Caged feeders, which keep larger animals out while letting songbirds in, also work well.

Choose seed that birds like and squirrels avoid

Safflower is a white, slightly bitter seed. Cardinals, chickadees and doves enjoy it, and many squirrels and starlings tend to leave it alone. Seed with chili pepper added also deters squirrels. Birds cannot taste the heat, so it does them no harm.

Discourage starlings, grackles and pigeons

These birds feed in large flocks. Use tube feeders with small ports or caged feeders that only smaller birds can enter. Put out seed in modest amounts so that a flock cannot finish a feeder in minutes. Avoid scattering seed on the ground, where pigeons and doves feed most.

Keep the area clean

Spilled seed on the ground attracts squirrels, rodents and pigeons. Sweep up hulls and fallen seed under the feeder every few days, and never scatter bread for wild birds.

Patience helps. Squirrels learn quickly, so a new setup may work for a few days and then fail once a squirrel finds a way around it. Check the baffle, the perches and the spot every few weeks, and fix any gap as soon as you see it. If starlings or pigeons keep returning, move the feeder for a few days or take it in. That breaks their habit of coming back to the same place.

Keep the seed itself in mind as well. A feeder that holds only the seed you want is easier to defend than one that holds a mix full of filler. Store seed in a sealed metal or heavy plastic bin in a dry place, since damp or spoiled seed draws rodents and can make birds sick. If a squirrel does get into a feeder, make sure the feeder is cleaned and dried before it goes back out.

Photo: Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder by Mike's Birds from Riverside, CA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.