are window bird feeders safe

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Window bird feeders attach to the outside of your windows with suction cups. Many bird-lovers purchase these types of feeders because theyre made out of clear plastic and allow you to see fledglings close-up from the comfort of your own home. However, while they do come with some benefits, theyre also potentially harmful to feathered friends. These feeders are not always sturdy enough to support larger birds, can attract pests like rodents, make birds more accessible to predators, and could cause birds to injure themselves because of the reflective windows.

Though there are several drawbacks, window feeders allow those without much space outside to easily watch birds. They also often attract a variety of small species including sparrows, robins, goldfinches, and wrens. For those that photograph wildlife, window feeders make it easier to get close-up s of these animals without scaring them away. By mounting your feeder correctly, making your windows less reflective, and cleaning up any spilled seeds, you can make these feeders safer for your visitors.

Bring Back Exterior Screens

Although most people no longer use exterior window screens, they were common a few decades ago as a way for homeowners to naturally cool their homes without letting in bugs. “Many people don’t open their windows as much since air conditioning became popular,” Eckles claims. Consequently, they frequently stop installing screens entirely.

That’s unfortunate because outside screens make windows visible to birds, cut down on reflection, and provide a softer landing in the event of an accident. They’re also easy to install and aren’t eyesores. What’s not to like?.

To keep birds out of your windows, think about adding exterior screens when building or renovating your house. There are lots of options if you can’t install outside screens because you rent or for some other reason. You can use different types of netting or the product BirdScreen, which is made specifically for this purpose, to hang it.

Take a Bird’s-Eye Tour of Your Home

Having gained insight into what a bird cannot see, take a walk around your home and consider it from their point of view. Look for windows that, at certain times of the day, reflect the sky or greenery, or that offer a clear view inside to what appears to be a pleasant habitat, like houseplants or a water feature. Give that window top priority if you discover any signs of a window collision, such as a dead bird or smears of feathers or blood.

Even though one or two collisions per house year may not seem like a big deal, they can result in hundreds of millions of birds dying every year. “It adds up pretty quickly,” says Kummer.

A common practice is to suspend birdfeeders from a nearby tree so that homeowners can observe the birds from their windows. This is the worst place to put them. It attracts birds to windows and allows them enough room to grow large enough to injure themselves in flight.

You have two choices: either put the birdbath and feeder more than 30 feet away from the closest window to give feeding birds plenty of room to clear the house, or place them no closer than three feet from the window to prevent injuries to the birds during takeoff.

Put Some Strings On It

One low-cost method to help birds avoid your windows is to hang strings, ribbons, or cords in front of them. All you need are two dowels and some medium-weight string (too heavy and the birds could get tangled up). One dowel should be hung horizontally above the window, and the ends of a piece of string should be tied to the other dowel to weigh the string down every four inches.

In her own house, Eckles hangs string in front of the windows. “You can put them up whenever you need them, which is the true beauty of a solution like that,” she remarks. Bird collisions, according to Kummer, tend to occur in groups during specific seasons of the year, especially during migration and when chicks are fledging. You can hang and remove the string in accordance with the months when your yard experiences a high volume of bird activity.

FAQ

Can you hang a bird feeder from a window?

Perhaps counterintuitively, feeders are safest when they’re closest to windows—because if a bird takes off from the feeder and hits the window, it won’t be going at top speed and has a better chance of surviving—so it’s best to place feeders closer than 3 feet to a picture window (or even affixed to the glass or window …

Where is the best place to put a window bird feeder?

Also, it’s a good idea to place feeders closer to natural shelters like trees, shrubs, and other greenery. They will fly to these places for cover if they feel threatened, but it also provides a resting place where they can be hidden when needed.

Do window bird feeders really work?

Nearly all types of birds that are typically attracted to feeders will use a window feeder. Some birds, however, may be excluded by smaller window feeders or may be more suspicious of window feeders. For more skittish birds, you may want to consider using a feeder with a two-way mirror.

Do birds like window bird feeders?

Most birds are comfortable coming up close to buildings to feed. The types of birds you’ll see at your feeder will largely depend on your geographic location as well as the vegetation in your backyard. It’s important to select a window feeder that will accommodate the size and type of the bird you’re wanting to feed.