Feeder guide by food

Safflower Feeder

A safflower feeder is the compromise feeder: safflower attracts cardinals and other big-billed birds, though most birds prefer sunflower seeds over safflower — and that lower appeal is exactly why people use it against squirrels and grackles ¹.

Everything below about feeder design, foods, placement and cleaning is drawn from Project FeederWatch ¹² and All About Birds ³.

Carolina chickadee taking a seed from a safflower feeder — Photo: Alabama Extension, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Who eats from a safflower feeder

FeederWatch's summary is blunt: safflower attracts cardinals and other big-billed birds, but in their experience most birds prefer sunflower seeds over safflower ¹. Northern Cardinals, which eat many kinds of birdseed, are the reliable takers ⁴; chickadees, titmice, House Finches and doves accept it in smaller numbers, especially once they are used to it.

Why switch to safflower

The reason people fill a feeder with safflower rather than the more popular sunflower is the birds and mammals that do not want it: where grackles and squirrels have taken over a hopper, many feeder-keepers switch to safflower so that cardinals keep coming while the crowd thins. FeederWatch does not list seed choice as a squirrel remedy — its guidance is placement at least ten feet from trees and a baffle ¹ — so use safflower alongside those, not instead of them. Serve it in a hopper or on a platform, since cardinals need a ledge rather than a tube perch ¹.

Placement, squirrels and windows

Place feeders close to natural cover such as trees or shrubs, which offer birds refuge from predators, but not so close to strong branches that squirrels can jump across — a distance of about 10 feet is the usual guidance ¹. Windows are the other hazard: collisions kill perhaps a billion or more birds a year in North America, and older rules about safe feeder-to-window distances are no longer thought valid — if a window is near a feeder, treat the glass with markings spaced no more than 2 inches apart, external screens or cords, rather than worrying about the distance ³.

Squirrel baffles — barriers placed between squirrels and feeders — are usually the best defense. Squirrels can jump to feeders placed less than ten feet from a tree or building, so a pole-mounted feeder in the open with a baffle below it, or a tilting baffle at least 18 inches in diameter above a hanging feeder, is the arrangement that works ¹.

Keeping the feeder clean and the birds healthy

Clean seed and suet feeders regularly — every week or two, and more often during heavy use or wet weather — by scrubbing off debris and washing the parts thoroughly with warm water and dish soap ¹. Hummingbird feeders need cleaning far more often, every couple of days and ideally every time they are refilled; discard the solution and clean immediately at any sign of cloudy water or black mold ¹.

If a sick bird appears — House Finch eye disease shows as red, swollen, runny or crusty eyes, and avian pox as wart-like growths around the eye, bill, legs and feet — remove the feeders the bird is using for a couple of weeks and clean the feeders and the area thoroughly, so disease is not spread at the feeder ². Salmonellosis, caused by Salmonella bacteria, is a common cause of mortality in feeder birds and spreads the same way ².

Recommended feeder types

Platform Feeder →Hopper Feeder →

More feeder guides

Platform Feeder →Hopper Feeder →Tube Feeder →Suet Feeder →Hummingbird Feeder →Window Feeder →Tube vs hopper feeder →Suet vs seed feeder →Black oil sunflower feeder →Squirrel proof bird feeder →No birds at the feeder? →

Frequently asked questions

Do cardinals use a safflower feeder?

Yes — safflower attracts cardinals and other big-billed birds, although most birds still prefer sunflower ¹⁴.

Does safflower stop squirrels?

It is widely used for that, but FeederWatch's squirrel guidance is placement and baffles — ten feet from trees, a baffle on the pole or above the feeder — not seed choice ¹.

How often should I clean a bird feeder?

Every week or two for seed and suet feeders, more often in wet weather or heavy use; every couple of days for hummingbird feeders. Scrub, then wash with warm water and dish soap ¹.

How far should a feeder be from a window?

Distance rules are no longer considered valid; instead make any nearby window bird-safe with markings spaced no more than 2 inches apart, exterior screens, or hanging cords ³.