How to Make a Bird Feeder That Will Attract a Chickadee

Create a bird feeder that will attract chickadees.

Several species of the chickadee are commonly found in North America. This includes the black-capped chickadee. Chickadees are easily identified by their song --- chick-a-dee-dee-dee --- which is how they got their name. If you are interested in attracting chickadees to your property, you can create your own bird feeder and then fill it with foods the birds love.

Things You'll Need

• Yarn
• Pine cone
• Scissors
• Peanut butter
• Knife
• Sunflower seeds
• Dried fruit
• Paper plate

Instructions

1. Wrap long piece of yarn around a pine cone and tie it in a knot. This allows you to slide the bird feeder over a tree branch. Emporia State University recommends hanging feeders from trees, as they provide good cover for birds.

2. Smear peanut butter all over the pine cone, including between the openings in the cone.

3. Chop dried fruit pieces into tiny bits with a knife and mix them with some sunflower seeds. According to Ohio State University, chickadees love sunflower seeds and pieces of fruit.

4. Pour the fruit/sunflower seed mixture on a paper plate and roll a pine cone around in it. The food sticks to the peanut butter.

5. Hang the pine cone on your tree branches and watch for chickadees.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't hang the bird feeders near a garden. Cats frequent gardens, and they are natural predators of birds.

References

• Emporia State University: Attracting, Feeding, and Identifying Backyard Birds
• Kaboose: Pinecone Bird Feeder
• Oregon State University; Black-capped Chickadee; M. Mulanax and N. Allen; September 2006