Backyard Bird Feeding and Nesting Guide | Feed, House, and Protect Backyard Birds

Backyard bird feeding and nesting start with three things birds need from your yard: food, water and shelter. The most dependable way to provide them is to grow plants that feed birds and the insects they eat, then add feeders and nest boxes as supplements. Keep those supplements clean, and place them where they don’t create new hazards. This guide covers the essentials of each part and links to deeper guides where they exist.

Start with plants, not feeders

Cornell Lab’s guide to food and shelter for backyard birds puts plant variety first. Different plants supply buds, seeds, nectar, sap and insects, plus fruit from native berry shrubs, and they also give birds nest sites, nest material and places to hide. Many birds prefer a mix of heights, such as low plants next to a thicket of shrubs and taller trees. Cornell recommends locally native plants because they offer the foods best suited to local birds, and Project FeederWatch calls planting native vegetation one of the best ways to support local birds.

Plants matter even more in the breeding season, when insect-eating birds need caterpillars and other insects for their young. In a Smithsonian study of more than 160 yards around Washington, D.C., Carolina Chickadees fed their nestlings caterpillars and spiders. Only yards where native plants made up more than 70 percent of the plantings produced enough chickadees to sustain a stable population. That result covers one species in one region, but it suggests why a feeder alone can’t replace habitat.

Small habits add food and cover too. Cornell suggests leaving faded seed heads from seed bearing flowers standing for goldfinches and other seedeaters, and raking fallen leaves under shrubs, where they shelter insects that ground-dwelling birds find.

Do birds depend on feeders?

One study suggests they don’t rely on them heavily. Over the winters of 1983 to 1985 in Wisconsin, Black-capped Chickadees took about 21 percent of their daily energy from feeders and depended mainly on natural food. That covers one species in one region, so treat the number as an illustration rather than a rule. FeederWatch describes feeding as a supplement that adds resources when food is scarce, such as during a harsh winter or a drought.

Choose food and feeders for the birds you want

FeederWatch notes that feeders are not one size fits all. Sparrows and doves often feed on the ground or on low platforms, tube feeders with short perches suit small birds such as finches, and suet cages attract woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees. Black-oil sunflower seed is the most common feeder seed in North America and is preferred by a wide range of birds.

When you’re ready to pick seed, our guide to choosing between black-oil sunflower, nyjer and suet matches foods to species.

Place feeders where birds stay safe

Put feeders in a quiet spot near trees or shrubs, so birds have cover while they wait their turn. FeederWatch suggests keeping feeders about 10 feet from branches strong enough to give squirrels and cats a launch point.

Windows are another risk. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that more than 1 billion birds die from glass collisions in the United States each year. Cornell’s safe feeding guidance recommends placing feeders within 3 feet of nearby glass, or treating the outside of windows near the feeder. FeederWatch advises markings such as dots, tape or paint spaced no more than 2 inches apart on the outside of the glass, or screens fitted outside the window.

Keep feeders and the ground beneath them clean

Birds crowded at feeders can pass pathogens to each other through direct contact and droppings. FeederWatch recommends these steps:

Clean seed and suet feeders every week or two, and more often during heavy use or wet weather.
Take feeders apart, scrub off debris and wash the parts in warm water with dish soap. Rinse well.
For extra protection, soak cleaned parts for 10 minutes in a disinfecting solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water, then rinse thoroughly.
Let every part dry completely before refilling.
Avoid feeders that can’t be washed thoroughly, such as wooden ones.
Rake or sweep up droppings, hulls and spoiled food under feeders, and move feeders occasionally so waste doesn’t build up in one spot.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission adds two points: space feeders apart to prevent crowding, and store seed in insect- and rodent-proof containers. Wear gloves when you handle feeders, and wash your hands afterwards.

What to do if sick birds appear

Fluffed-up feathers, lethargy, crusty eyes and abnormal growths can all be signs of disease. FeederWatch’s sick bird guidance recommends removing the feeders a sick bird is using for a couple of weeks, so birds disperse, and cleaning the feeders and feeding area while they’re down. During a salmonellosis outbreak, the Pennsylvania Game Commission advises stopping feeding for 2 to 3 weeks.

FeederWatch adds a caveat: taking feeders down helps most where few people feed birds. In a neighborhood full of feeders, removing yours can push birds into larger crowds elsewhere. Cleaning and disinfecting more often helps in either case.

Don’t try to care for a sick bird yourself: only veterinarians and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators can legally treat wild birds. Cornell advises against handling sick or dead birds: call your state wildlife health agency instead, or a licensed rehabilitator if a bird needs help to survive.

Avian flu and backyard feeders

As of Cornell Lab’s January 2026 update on avian influenza, the risk of an outbreak among wild songbirds is low, and the USDA’s National Wildlife Disease Program has no official recommendation to take down feeders unless you also keep poultry. Poultry keepers are advised to remove feeders or keep them well away from their flocks. Cornell also advises following your state government’s recommendations, even where they differ from its own.

Nesting: natural sites and the right nest box

Start with natural nest sites. Cornell suggests leaving dead limbs and trees standing where it’s safe, because bluebirds and many woodpeckers need old, hollow trees to nest in. A brush pile gives sparrows and towhees hiding places and shelter from rain, snow and wind.

Nest boxes add homes where natural cavities are scarce. NestWatch’s checklist for a good birdhouse includes:

untreated, unpainted wood at least 3/4 inch thick
drainage holes in the floor and ventilation holes near the top
an extended, sloped roof
no outside perch, which birds don’t need and which can help predators
a side that opens for monitoring and cleaning
mounting on a metal pole fitted with a baffle

The entrance hole decides who moves in. NestWatch notes that 1 1/4 inches is the smallest hole House Sparrows can use and 1 9/16 inches the smallest for European Starlings, so a smaller hole keeps them out. Choose the size for the species you hope to attract. Place boxes away from brush piles, where snakes may wait, and far enough from trees that cats can’t leap onto them. Cornell’s NestWatch project also advises wearing gloves or washing your hands after checking a box.

Keep cats indoors

FeederWatch reports that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in North America. Ground-feeding and ground-nesting birds and fledglings are at greatest risk, and birds at feeders are easy prey. If you own a cat, keeping it indoors protects the birds you’re feeding.

Add clean water

Birds need water for drinking and bathing, and a bird bath or a simple shallow dish will do. FeederWatch recommends replacing the water as often as possible, such as every couple of days, and scrubbing the bath regularly. Never add antifreeze to keep water open in winter, because it is poisonous to birds.

Backyard Bird Feeding and Nesting Essentials