Birdfeeders

A hopper bird feeder is similar to a platform feeder in that it also has an open platform for birds to land on and feed. In addition, a hopper feeder has a roof and built in feed storage. This is very handy, especially in winter, so you don’t have to fill the feeder every day. As the seed on the platform is eaten, more drops out through a slit in the bottom of the storage container. During bad weather, the seed is protected from rain and snow as well. These hopper feeders are quite helpful when you are gone, for they insure a constant supply of seed for your backyard guests.

There are many designs available, including ones that close off the seed supply when the weight of a squirrel or large bird is detected. There are clear plastic relatively inexpensive models all the way up to huge, heavy metal or wood models that may hold up to 10 pounds of seed. These can be filled with just sunflower seeds, or a wild bird seed mixture, depending on the birds you are attracting. Because these feeders are of more complicated design than other feeders, they are more expensive, but well worth the extra investment.

The only drawback of hopper feeders is that the platform is not very large. Therefore, there is limited feeding space which cannot accommodate as many birds at a time as on an open platform.