The Unique Bird Feeder That May Cause More Harm Than Good In Your Yard

Trilling bird song drifts through your garden. The flit of brightly colored wings pierces the pale winter landscape. If you're trying to cultivate a suburban wilderness, the benefits of having a bird feeder in your yard are impossible to deny. While hanging a feeder from a tree or pole is probably the homeowner's go-to option, they only attract certain bird species. There's another often overlooked style guaranteed to tempt birds who prefer a more terrestrial lifestyle. Ground feeders consist of a tray or dish sitting directly on the lawn. Fill them with millet or cracked corn, and you're sure to attract everything from crooning doves and cheerful sparrows to red, white, and black towhees and oh so cute juncos. They're for sure a great alternative to sprinkling seed across your lawn, where it's likely not visible to the birds you wish to feed.

However, what defines this style of feeder — namely, its close proximity to the ground and the flat feeding style preferred by numerous North American bird species — causes problems for bird visitors and watchers alike. The feeders are often small in span, relatively speaking, limiting the number of birds able to feed at one time. Rain and snow can pile up on open trays, ruining seed. Then there are the decidedly more serious problems, from attracting predators to spreading disease. That ground feeders only attract certain bird species could also be seen as a downside by some backyard bird enthusiasts, though the problem is easily solved by pairing this type of feeder with hanging or tube feeders that appeal to different species. Other issues with ground feeders aren't so easily overcome.

A 2019 study published in Ardea of avian predation by cats in Europe found that ground-feeding bird species were the most vulnerable to attack. Those tasty seeds might attract unwanted garden and house guests, like mice, rats, raccoons, skunks, or even deer and bears. Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that ground-foraging birds are most likely to harbor — and therefore disseminate — ticks. The best ways to keep unwanted pests out of your bird feeder include choosing a feeder with a wire mesh cover, popping on an overturned planter on the feeder overnight, adding thorn-covered branches, raising the tray a few inches off the ground, and making sure it's between 12 and 15 feet away from shrubs or other cover that could hide a stealthy feline.

Seeds in ground feeding trays can also be more contamination-prone than their elevated counterparts. Rain water or snow melt can pool on the flat surface, rotting any over abundance of birdseed, fine cracked corn, or the less popular and ignored grains like oats, sorghum, and red millet. Determine how much birdseed your feathered friends eat in a day and put out just enough and rake or sweep away fallen seed daily. Buy ground feeders with rain and snow-repelling roofs and seed-saving railings. Again, lifting the platform off the ground will ensure bird poop and food stay safely separated, reducing the chances of deadly diseases like Salmonella spreading from one hungry visitor to the next. Properly clean your backyard bird feeder every few weeks, and stop using it for a similar period of time if you spot diseased birds.