A three-year study of 1,500 North American citizen scientists shows that birds prefer tube and platform feeders, stocked with black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer, and white proso millet. The survey was led by ornithologist David Horn, as part of Millikin University’s Project Wildbird.

Some of the study’s conclusions include:

• Tube bird feeders and platform feeders have more visitors than hopper feeders. Tube feeders attract smaller birds while platform feeders are best for larger birds. Whether birds use hopper feeders depends on whether the perches are designed to accommodate birds easily.

• Different seed types attracted different kinds of birds. For example, white proso millet attracts native sparrows and mourning doves. Small finches, including gold finches, prefer nyjer or sunflower chips. Larger species, like cardinals, woodpeckers and house finches, like black oil sunflower seeds.

•Project Wildbird revealed the number of birds visiting feeders is about the same from season to season. What changes are the kinds of birds that appear at different times of the year.

•The 10 most common species visiting feeders were: American Goldfinch; Black-capped Chickadee; Brown-headed Cowbird; Common Grackle; House Finch; House Sparrow; Mourning Dove; Northern Cardinal; Pine Siskin; and Purple Finch.

From 2005-08, Project Wildbird recorded over 20,000 bird feeder observations from 174 individuals in 38 states and 3 Canadian provinces. They observed 106 species and nearly 1.3 million bird visits. Each participant created and monitored four bird feeding stations, with supplied feeders, poles, squirrel baffles and bird seed. Each feeding station was schedule to use a particular seed, with “scientists” making regular 45-minute observations.

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