There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting outside on a cool afternoon and watching birds eat from a feeder. For beginners, getting to thatpoint might seem daunting with all the different bird feeders to choose from. Each feeder uses different food and attracts certain species,so it’s actually easy to pick the kind of species you 
want to watch by knowing a little more about the feeders. To make bird feeding lessoverwhelming, here are descriptions of each type of bird feeder, what kind of food it holds and the birds that are most attracted to it.
House and Hopper Bird Feeders
Hopper bird feeders are perhaps the most common and iconic of the feeders. They typically look like small houses and have perches for the birds to sit on. Most styles either hang from a tree or are attached to a pole, but remember, if you have squirrels to take some precautions to prevent them from getting to the food. These feeders are great for bird seeds, either sunflower or black oil safflower seeds, and usually attract birds like cardinals that are more comfortable landing on a perch to eat.
Suet Feeders
Most beginners are probably not familiar with suet feeders, but they look like wire cages and are hung from tree branches or attached to posts. Suet is a type of bird food, usually kidney fat sold in cakes, that many birds highly favor. Some species known to go to suet feeders are juncos, woodpeckers, goldfinches, jays, wrens and more.
Tube and Thistle Feeders
Tube feeders are long and cylindrical with openings just large enough for birds to get the food out. Typical food for tube feeders are bird seed, anything from safflower seeds and to sunflower seeds. Tube feeders have small perches so if you want bigger birds to eat as well, you should get a tube feeder that has a plate at the bottom. Thistle feeders look exactly like tube feeders except they are designed to hold only thistle also known as nyger seed. Thistle tends to attract finches, chickadees and other small birds.
Nectar Feeders
Nectar feeders have a tubular shape and are designed to hold liquid nectar especially for hummingbirds. These feeders hang from trees and branches. There are small holes around the feeder that allow hummingbirds to get the nectar.
Ground Feeders
Though bird feeders are usually associated with trees and posts, ground feeders are very popular among birds like cardinals and doves. If you have larger birds in your backyard like the occasional duck or wild turkey, ground feeders are ideal because they hold a variety of foods such as seed and cracked corn.
Other Types of Feeders
If you want to attract a specific type of bird, many places sell feeders that are specially made for a given species. For example, there are bluebird feeders that hold or dispense mealworms, the preferred food of the bluebird. Similarly, there are oriole feeders that have spikes to hold oranges and fruits.