Free Standing Bird Feeder

Tara Gosselin Interior Design Expert

Tara is a San Antonio-based award-winning landscape architect, writer and educator, passionate about eco-friendly solutions and growing her own food. She knows all it takes to help you create a sustainable backyard retreat that combines blissful charm with a modern take on landscaping.

Updated 11/04/2022

Free standing bird feeders not only provide a secure and comfortable spot for all of your neighborhood bird friends to come and eat, but you also don’t have to worry about them getting caught on any tree branches due to their standalone design. Our design experts have put together a list of the best classic and modern free standing bird feeders available.

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Our Picks

Birdhouse Style Free Standing Bird Feeder

Birdhouse Style Free Standing Bird Feeder

Woodlink

A traditional birdhouse design, this free standing bird feeder features a brown natural wood house that’s crafted out of kiln dried red cedar with durable zinc chromate screws. The hinged roof opens up and there’s plenty of room for large birds to perch and feed.

Designer Advice:

It’s worth noting that there is no pole or mounting or anchoring kit included with this free standing bird feeder. If you want this to be featured on a pole in your yard, it has be purchased separately.

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Pole Mount Free Standing Bird Feeder

Made of a UV resistant lexan material with aluminum and stainless steel features, this seed tube style free standing bird feeder comes with a pole and mounting kit. There are several spots for birds to eat and the entire thing has a 1.2 gallon seed capacity.

Designer Advice:

The top panel of this tube style bird feeder is covered with a green metal top to keep the feed securely in place. There is also a squirrel baffle skirt feature which helps to keep any critters other than birds out of your bird feeder.

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Traditional Birdhouse Feeder

Arlmont & Co.

This free standing bird feeder is a tube style that sits inside its very own PVC wood house-like structure with metal accents. There’s a sweet painted finial featured at the top and this feeder has six different spots for feeding.

Designer Advice:

This free standing bird feeder does not come equipped with a pole, but there is a stationary easy installation collar on the bottom of the structure. It’s also available in over 10 different colors.

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Blueberry Pie Coneflower Decorative Bird Feeder

Customer Photo

Blue Flower Free Standing Bird Feeder

Desert Steel

This free standing bird feeder is perfect for those that have gardens filled with flowers because it was designed to look like a large blueberry pie coneflower. It’s made out of powder-coated steel and the feed comes up and out of the middle pistil section of the flower.

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Pronged Free Standing Bird Feeder With Multiple Feeders

Pronged Free Standing Bird Feeder With Multiple Feeders

Arlmont & Co.

Perfect for those that are looking to attract all types of birds to their yard, this pronged bird feeder features 6 hooks with multiple trays and metal feeders, including a nut feeder, suet feeder, wire feeder, and a ball-style feeder.

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Free Standing Bird Feeder

Buying Guide

It can be easy to feed precious creatures such as birds. However, more often than not, novice birders make simple mistakes which can keep the animals from enjoying their feeders. Although some mistakes can only make the feeders unattractive, there may be some that you commit unknowingly which can endanger their lives or even traumatize them from ever coming back.

To ensure you provide your garden a new stunning addition and give several bird species a nutritious buffet, keep on reading as we’ve prepared a buying guide on freestanding bird feeders.

How to protect a bird feeder from predators?

There are several forms of wildlife which will gladly raid the feeders of birds. Squirrels, rats, deer, raccoons, and even bears are known to snack at feeders. This means the supply of seeds for the birds you’re hoping to feed will be depleted.

Also, unprotected feeders can expose these beautiful animals to predators, especially when the senses of birds are dulled when they're feeding. The best freestanding bird feeder, therefore, is one that’s designed to be predator-proof.

Additionally, you can apply a coat of oil at the base and pole of your bird feeder to make it really slippery that rats and other predators won’t get to the actual feeder.

As you wouldn’t want to harm the animals, choose the freestanding bird feeder that doesn’t have any sharp points or edges. Select the design that allows the animals to perch as well to keep the seeds or suet cakes from being soiled. If possible, get more than one bird feeder so the birds get ample space while feasting on your treats. It will also help avoid overcrowding.

How to clean and maintain a free-standing bird feeder?

Birds expel in the same place where they eat; therefore, you will be tasked to sanitize and clean the bird feeders regularly. If you are looking for a feeder that's easy to clean and can be kept germ-free, don’t opt for wood or clay as both of them are absorbent. They are also difficult to sanitize. Instead, go for the one made of either glass, steel or plastic.

Bird feeding is like all other investments you make. It takes commitment and research to take care of lives. Overall, the feeder you choose should be one that’s easily filled, cleaned, and emptied.

What are the common types of bird feeders?

Perching - A perching feeder comes with a seed chamber at the center of the unit with multiple feeding ports. A common perching feeder is the tube type.
Platform - A platform feeder is for ground-feeding bird species that prefer to eat on an open platform that’s elevated several feet from the ground like field sparrows, juncos, and tree sparrows. These birds love white proso millet. For cardinals and grosbeaks, you can give them black-oil sunflower seed as that's what they are attracted to.
Clinging - A clinging freestanding bird feeder is for clingers like nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers. Their preference is to grab their food. A good clinging feeder is a suet feeder. Suet cakes can be added into it or compressed seeds that are glued together using non-toxic glue.