Before we look at how best to cater to the ground feeders, let’s look at why some birds prefer to feed in this way and which birds fall into this group. Why Do Some Birds Feed on The Ground?

A surprising number of our most popular garden birds prefer to feed on the ground. The Thrush Family For nyjer seed you need a specially designed feeder as this seed is smaller than other bird food. These special feeders have very small holes or slits instead of the standard feeding ports, which helps prevent too much seed from being wasted. Another kind of problematic visitors to your garden are cats. Unlike birds of prey, domestic cats are not natural predators anymore. They do not need to hunt to survive, and their habit of catching birds, particularly during the breeding season, can be a problem for all types of birds.

It can be frustrating when squirrels steal all of your bird food, but what’s more upsetting is when larger birds and cats chase birds away from their meal. Our strong powder-coated steel ground feeder cage protects smaller birds and their food from potential danger or greedy squirrels! Placing squirrel cones above and/or below your feeders can help stop the squirrels reaching them. Alternatively you can enclose the post of your bird table or feeder pole in smooth plastic pipe and so make it more difficult for squirrels to climb. Cats Personally, I’m not that keen on ground feeding cages. They certainly keep larger birds out, but the bars are so tightly spaced that even some of the smaller customers think twice before venturing in. If you don’t want to splash out on a shop-bought ground feeder, it’s easy enough to go for a DIY option.

Like pigeons and collared doves, the game birds are granivorous and will eat mainly grains and seeds. Water Birds However, the most important factor to consider is bird safety. Is the feeder safe for birds to use? With no points where birds’ feet could get trapped? What bird food do you need for your bird feeder? And, if you have squirrels or cats in your garden, what is the best feeder to keep your bird food and birds safe? All RSPB bird feeders are designed with bird safety in mind. Read on to learn more about the different options available. Seed feedersThe sheer size of the bird and the crop are why it can seem like pigeons don’t leave your bird food alone until they have finished the lot. As you can see, the ground feeding birds are a large group and will add loads of interest to your garden; they are well worth taking the time to feed. Hazards of Putting Food Straight on the Ground If you want something a a little more modern or perhaps a feeding tray that will compliment the patio, then there's options for you there to.

The latest design of this guardian cage sanctuary has a wider base, to put more distance between your food and large birds like pigeons and doves. This makes this sanctuary even more effective at creating a safe area for small birds to feed in and excluding large birds from your RSPB ground table (sold separately). Love them or loathe them; pigeons and collared doves are probably the other leading group of ground feeders you may have in your garden. Keeping birds healthy and safe is so important. We wanted to create a high-quality cage that can provide both nutrition and safety, which is why we used powder-coated steel so you can rely on this sturdy cage. We’d suggest that if you plan to offer bird food at ground level, you try to keep your garden cat-free. We have a guide here. Easy to assemble. The sides simply slot together and food can be topped up by means of the lid on the top.And also like pigeons, they are quite big birds. They have a wingspan of over a foot and can weigh up to 4 ounces. (Compare this to the blue tit who weighs just half an ounce.) Firstly its nice wood . there is a wooden bar which divides the tray into 4 eaqual sections. The wooden bars can be removed as well as the acetate tray for cleaning. We recommend you place this sanctuary over a specially designed ground feeding table, such as our RSPB Ground feeding table.

Grey squirrels can be a real problem when feeding your garden birds. They can damage your feeders by chewing through plastic rapidly, rendering them useless. Any large shallow dish will do. I’ve used a large plant pot saucer with a few holes in it for drainage; you could use a storage box lid, an old birdbath, or even a dustbin lid.

Ground Bird Feeder

This sounds like a bit of a silly question at first. Ground feeding birds – put some feed on the ground, right? Well, you can simply throw some food on the ground to cater for these birds. But you may run into problems. Attracting rats, exposing your birds to predators, and ending up with a cornfield where your lawn used to be, for example. But we’ve seen in this article that there are a whole host of garden favourites who won’t get any use out of a hanging feeder. And quite a few who won’t even be able to use your bird table. Placing your feeders at least 2 metres away from any jumping-off point, such as a tree, shrub or fence will help to keep them at a distance, but they can jump up from the ground, or down from above. To help protect your garden birds from predators and guard their food against pests such as squirrels and larger birds, we also supply a selection of guardians, which can be paired with your ground bird feeder. This is a particularly useful solution for pet owners, as well as for those who live in areas with a thriving squirrel population.