What is a ground feeder for birds

With focus on feeding birds in a bird feeder made to be hung, its easy to forget not all birds forage higher up, with ground eating birds requiring a ground feeder of their own.

What is a ground feeder for birds is a essentially a metal or plastic dish or tray that is made to sit on, or near to the ground. Not all wild birds can occupy a hanging bird feeder, due to inability or never evolving too use one; thus an open ground bird feeder will be visited by mostly ground feeding birds.

When utilizing a ground feeder for only ground feeding birds who frequent your yard, is done so to avoid what can be mostly ground eaters who won't be able to eat your seeds or mealworms, unless they're on the ground.

Now, while you can put bird seed on the ground with great success to follow, you can keep things tidy by throwing wild bird food in a specialty ground bird feeder.

Ground bird feeders are a simple dish that holds bird food, with some drainage to avoid flooding the bowl.

Let me just say to utilize a ground feeder, you'd want to always use one side by side with feeders hung above, as some bird species are both ground feeders - who also feed off the ground - within trees or vegetation in the wild.

Ground feeders are easier to manage than the mesh or clear tube feeders for nuts or seeds, yet can quickly lose their quality as the ground environment can be harsh.

You will need to clean and maintain ground feeders for birds more often, thus the trade off is that ground feeders are easier to maintain.

Where else one will benefit with use of a ground feeder, is to deter larger birds who raid feeders in a tree or up a pole - or squirrels who often come calling. You can deter all these pests with a ground feeder sat away from your hanging bird feeder collection.

And with that, if Sparrows or Blackbirds are found to keep other birds away, try to divert them to a ground bird feeder setup below.

Don't take a ground bird feeder literally, as a ground feeder can be sat on garden furniture, a wall, shed or garden roof - or deck railings if it means keeping birds safe.

Bird feeder made to sit on ground

Known as a ground bird feeder or ground feeder, it is often a simple tray or bowl which sits on the ground of your yard.

It will then be part of a process of attracting common backyard ground feeding birds, who refuse too, or indeed are unable to cling onto a hanging style bird feeder; of which does relate to bird species who only feed off the ground within trees, when in the wild.

Where you place the ground feeder for birds can be beneath the rest of the bird feeders commonly hung off a bird feeder pole, with an option to push the ground feeder in an area within the yard that is frequently occupied by birds the most.

Bird feeders made for the ground will ideally be sat on gravel or paving, whereas a lawn or turf location will eventually see staining on the bottom.

Ground bird feeders aren't the only option in inviting birds, large or small, to come and eat in your yard - when throwing seeds over the ground can be just as successful.

In addition to utilizing a ground bird feeder to attract common ground eaters, its quite an effective way to deter Northern Cardinals or Blue Jays for example - who appear to be scaring off more timid birds - off hanging bird feeders.

Can be up to 6 inches high

While a ground feeder for wild birds truly has its place in anyone's yard who are frequently visited by common ground feeding birds, what you might not know is a ground bird feeder isn't truly a ground level feeder.

In fact, you can expect what is essentially a bowl or dish made to hold all kinds of bird feed, to be up to 6 inches off the ground or more.

Ground feeders rely on some elevation as the distance off the ground can provide some protection from the damp or sometimes snowy conditions on the ground.

In addition, height off the ground will provide protection with any splash back of any rain.

Feed ground feeding birds with an effective ground feeder but understand, it won't deter rats or other rodents - but can make a the infestation progressively worse.

Only use a ground feeder, actually sat on the concrete, turf or lawn, if you can guarantee no issues with pests, including pets like dogs who may fall ill feeding on now easier to access wild bird food. In addition, cats really will be the worse around bird feeders for both eating bird feed and killing wild birds at the same time.

With a ground bird feeder sitting on up to four legs to support it some way off the ground, its also a way to keep insects off the bird food.

Ground bird feeders will be made with a mesh dish or tray which will allow rain water to drain. If the ground feeder isn't built with any kind of drainage holes, then assume the bird feeder is in fact, a bird bath.

And just like ground feeders, ground eating birds will appreciate a ground bird bath of which can sit next to the ground feeder.

Similar to ground bird bath

Ground feeders are similar to bird baths, made to attract what are ground foraging birds, as some birds will only commit to a ground level feeding environment and water source.

Its sure easy to confuse a ground feeder for a bird bath of a similar design.

Though its worth remembering in order for bird food to spoil in wet or damp conditions, the dish or tray which bird food is piled in, will always have drainage.

Mostly a full mesh wire tray I might add yet what can appear like a hole-free plastic bowl, can be made with less visible holes to allow some kind of drainage.

Bird baths are made to hold water thus no kind of holes will be built into the dish.

Prioritize a shaded location for your ground bird feeder in summer months to slow the germination process when feed is left out under the sun. Where bird bath water would quickly evaporate if kept in direct sunshine.

As a rule of thumb, a ground bird feeder will primarily be made in plastic coated wiring, or made in full metal with a mesh tray. Ground bird baths are different, in that they can be made in just stone or plastic, with absolutely no drainage holes.

Serves ground feeding birds

What you'll get out of a ground feeder for birds, is a way to attract birds like Blue Jays, Cardinals, Bluebirds and even American Robins who all happen to be ground feeders.

Not just exclusive ground feeders I might add, because in desperate times or just if certain birds happen to be greedy, they will invade your ground bird feeder at all times.

Ground bird feeders can serve to divert the attention of nuisance Mourning Doves or Crows to a ground feeder; whereby the ground bird feeder is an effective way of getting the attention of larger birds who frequently raid hanging bird feeders hung off a tree branch or on the bracket of a bird feeder pole.

Serve ground feeding birds their favorite seed mix, nuts or suet in your choice of feeder sat on the ground - with dried or live mealworms a favorite with ground feeding birds - with mealworms being similar to what insects ground eating birds forage for in the wild.

How you will feed ground feeding birds in an organized manner, while prioritizing birds a mix of bird food in safety via a ground bird feeder, can be moved to a place where you can observe their feeding behavior, which can be a lot of fun.

Summary

So you've heard or seen a bird feeder made to hold seeds or nuts hung up off a bird feeder pole bracket or tree branch right? Well, what is a ground feeder for wild birds, is essentially a food dish that sits on the ground.

Ground bird feeders can be made in metal or plastic with some featuring a wooden surround - but will have some drainage in place to prevent the ground feeder flooding.

Ground bird baths are also an option, which are prioritized for backyard birders who happens to attract more ground feeding birds in their yard.

With a ground bird feeder sitting on the ground, you'd still need to situate it where it will see the most success, which can include pushing the ground feeder into natural foliage.

Ground feeders aren't exactly ground level food dishes, as they're normally made to be some way off the ground, in order to protect the food from splash back.

Do make use of a ground feeder as its will serve to feed bird species who refuse or are truly unfamiliar with a bird feeder hung off a branch or pole. Some birds have evolved to use compact, restricted bird feeders while others haven't at all.

Now here is where a simple open to all ground bird feeder tray or dish can feed those who would normally have to go without.

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