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Bird feeders
, for pet birds, are usually electronic feeders that can store several days worth of food. These types of feeders automatically replenish the dish when it becomes empty. For pet birds, supplies should include cups or dishes that clip securely to the bird’s cage to hold the pet’s food. Birds are known to be messy eaters, so bird seed guards help eliminate some of the mess from birds digging into their food dish.
Outdoor bird feeders, also called bird tables, are also designed to be placed outdoors to attract and feed wild birds. For those interested in the bird kingdom, but whom, for whatever reason, are unable to own a pet bird, it can be a fascinating, enjoyable hobby. Bird feeders hold bird food, such as seeds, millet, sunflower seeds, safflower and other types of bird food. Seed feeders are the most common type, and vary in design from tubes to hoppers and trays. Sunflower seed or mixed seed are probably the most popular for feeders and will attract many songbirds such as cardinals, finches, and chickadees. Black Oil Sunflower seed is especially popular with bird enthusiasts. Because it contains a large amount of fat, black oil sunflower seed is especially good to use at bird feeders in the wintertime.
Hummingbird feeders supply liquid nourishment to hummingbirds in the form of a sugar solution. This mixture is often colored red to attract hummingbirds, and the feeders often have red accents or red glass to help attract the tiny birds, as well. Yeasts tend to grow in hummingbird feeders and spoil the solution, so they must be refreshed frequently and kept very clean to avoid harm to the birds. Oriole feeders are another unique type of bird feeder. They are usually colored orange, and also supply artificial nectar designed to feed New World orioles, which have an unusually shaped beak and tongue. These orioles and some other birds also will come to fruit foods, such as grape jelly, or half an orange on a peg. Hummingbirds will also feed from Oriole feeders.
A suet feeder is another type of wild bird feeder that is typically a metal cage-like construction with a plastic coating. They are used to hold a cake or block of suet to feed woodpeckers, flickers, nuthatches, and many other species of insect eaters. Suet is high in fat which helps to keep wild birds warm and nourished during the cold winter.
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