The Cardinal-Only Feeder:

Did you know we have a feeder that is designed to feed cardinals, without feeding smaller birds (such as house sparrows) or larger birds (starlings and grackles). The hinged, weight-sensitive feed door won’t open if a bird weighs too little or too much, but a cardinal is the “Goldilocks bird,” weighing just right! Interestingly, all adult cardinals in our area have a similar weight, about that of 9 nickels, so we use the coins to calibrate the feed door. The cardinal’s close cousin, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is the only other bird in this same range, which is fine by us as they are equally gorgeous.

Two things to note when using this feeder:

1. There is a learning curve for the cardinals, who are notoriously wary of new things, so we encourage everyone to have patience during the startup period. Several weeks is common and several months is not unheard of, but once the cardinals figure out that no other birds can use the feeder and they can dine undisturbed, they become quite faithful to it. If hanging from our Advanced Pole System, adding a Decorative Branch Perch under the feeder helps a lot so the cardinal can land there first and then hop over to the feeder. We can give you a few more start-up pointers when you stop by our store.

2. This is NOT a squirrel-proof or raccoon-proof feeder. You can fill the feeder with safflower (a cardinal favorite) to deter most squirrels. Better yet, hang the feeder from one of our feeder poles with a properly fitted squirrel or raccoon baffle. See our squirrel-proofing tips.

Cardinal Only Feeder - available in-store only.