Feeding birds in summer is optional. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says keeping feeders up year-round is fine in most cases and keeps its own feeders full all year, though some people stop in spring and summer because natural food is plentiful. What changes in summer is the menu, the crowd and the heat: food spoils faster, suet softens, and in bear country feeders should come down. For cold-weather foods, open water and roost boxes, see winter bird feeding; for a year-round seed chart, see what to feed backyard birds.
Why summer feeders are quieter
Terry W. Johnson, writing for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), lists the reasons feeder traffic drops in summer:
- Natural food is more plentiful.
- Many winter seed-eaters switch to insects; insects make up upward of 40 percent of a Northern Cardinal's summer food.
- Winter flocks break up as birds pair off to nest.
- Winter visitors such as White-throated Sparrows, juncos, Pine Siskins and Purple Finches leave for their northern breeding grounds.
In exchange, summer brings birds winter feeders never see: Georgia DNR names Painted Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings, and Cornell adds orioles, grosbeaks and hummingbirds. Many young birds follow their parents to the feeder (Missouri Department of Conservation); fledglings are nearly adult-sized but drab and beg with open mouths and fluttering wings (Georgia DNR).
Should you keep feeding? Four summer situations
| Situation | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Bears live nearby | Don't keep feeders up during the warmer months (Cornell). New York's DEC says to take feeders down after April 1, because birds don't need extra food in spring and summer and spilled seed draws bears. |
| Extreme heat | Birds may stop visiting; put feeders in shade and consider a birdbath (Cornell). |
| Seed level isn't dropping | The seed may have spoiled; change it or fill the feeder less (Cornell). |
| Cowbirds and grackles take over | Stop feeding entirely for a week or so to encourage them to move on (Georgia DNR). |
What to feed in summer
| Food | Birds named | Summer notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black-oil sunflower | Grosbeaks, cardinals, Purple Finches, chickadees, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves (Minnesota DNR) | Should make up most of the summer seed (Minnesota DNR); grosbeaks eat millet but prefer it (Cornell) |
| Shelled sunflower | Many seed-eaters | Fewer shells left to mold (Mecklenburg Audubon, passing on Cornell's David Bonter) |
| Nyjer (thistle) | American Goldfinches (Minnesota DNR) | Finch mix also draws Pine Siskins and House Finches but needs larger ports |
| Peanuts | Chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, Blue Jays (Minnesota DNR) | A summer alternative to beef suet; serve in ¼-inch mesh against squirrels |
| Mealworms, dried or live | Bluebirds (Cornell); also robins, wrens, some warblers, catbirds, Chipping Sparrows, cardinals, Indigo Buntings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, orioles (Minnesota DNR) | A protein boost in breeding season (Cornell); use slick-sided bowls (Minnesota DNR) |
| Orange halves | Orioles (Cornell); Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers (Minnesota DNR); catbirds (Missouri) | Oranges can ferment in warm weather, so check them often (Missouri) |
| Grape jelly | Orioles (Cornell); Gray Catbirds, American Robins (Minnesota DNR) | A spoonful on a platform; shallow trays about 1 inch deep (Minnesota DNR) |
| Dark fruit: cherries, grapes | Orioles | Orioles ignore yellow cherries and green grapes (Cornell) |
| Sugar water | Hummingbirds (Cornell); also orioles, nuthatches, woodpeckers (Minnesota DNR) | ¼ cup sugar per cup of water, no red dye (Cornell) |
Minnesota DNR suggests cutting back white proso millet in summer to discourage House Sparrows and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Georgia DNR keeps the menu simple: black-oil sunflower, white millet and suet, each in its own feeder, with mealworms and fruit optional. Nectar strength and feeder care are covered in the hummingbird feeder guide and the nectar calculator. Native plants feed birds that rarely visit feeders, such as catbirds, vireos, gnatcatchers and phoebes (Mecklenburg Audubon); see native plants for birds.
Suet in summer: what the sources say
Heat softens suet, which can foul feathers, and turns it rancid. The sources agree on the risk but not on the remedy:
| Source | Advice |
|---|---|
| Cornell (feeder Q&A) | "It's a good idea to take down suet feeders in warm weather"; raw or homemade suet should not be offered in summer |
| Cornell (summer foods) | Keep suet in cool, shaded spots, or switch to a hummingbird feeder |
| Cornell (Living Bird, David Bonter) | Raw grocery suet turns rancid; packaged cakes can melt and harbor mold and bacteria; "no-melt" suet, rendered several times, stays solid in heat; hang it in shade |
| Missouri Department of Conservation | Suet in summer "is not recommended"; instead pack 1 part peanut butter to 5 parts cornmeal into holes drilled in a hanging log or into a pinecone |
| Georgia DNR | Most suet spoils quickly above about 70°F; use a melt-resistant suet and refrigerate it overnight, which also deters raccoons and opossums |
| Minnesota DNR | Peanuts are a good alternative to beef suet in summer |
Where sources differ: Georgia DNR keeps suet on its summer menu, while Cornell's Q&A and Missouri advise against it. The cautious reading is to take raw and homemade suet down once days warm up and, if you keep a no-melt cake out, hang it in shade and check it often. Suet types and temperature limits are compared on the suet page.
Keeping food fresh in the heat
- Fill feeders halfway and refill often (Cornell). Food that sits in hot, humid weather molds.
- Keep seed dry and store it in a cool, dry place (Cornell).
- Throw out moldy seed. Some molds produce aflatoxin, which is fatal to birds, and you can't tell by looking which molds do (Cornell).
- Move feeders around the yard so hulls and droppings don't build up and spread salmonellosis (Cornell); Georgia DNR also says to sweep up hulls often.
- Clean feeders about every two weeks, in a dishwasher on hot, with soap and boiling water, or with a dilute bleach solution of no more than 1 part bleach to 9 parts water; rinse and dry before refilling (Cornell). Georgia DNR uses 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Full steps: how to clean a bird feeder.
- Change nectar before it clouds. Cloudy nectar is fermenting (Cornell, Living Bird).
The sources give different nectar schedules for hot weather:
| Source | How often to change sugar water |
|---|---|
| Cornell (summer foods) | Two or three days in shade; daily on very hot days |
| Cornell (Living Bird) | Every three to five days, more often in very hot weather; small feeders get drained faster |
| Missouri Department of Conservation | Every 2–3 days in hot, humid weeks, washing the feeder just as often; check ports for black mold |
Photo: Doug Watanabe on Unsplash
If you see sick birds (sitting still, feathers puffed, eyes partly closed), Cornell says not to handle them: handling stresses them, people can catch salmonella, and keeping wild birds without a permit is illegal in the US. Move and clean the feeders and leave the bird alone. House Finch eye disease is described on the House Finch page.
Water
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls fresh water especially important in spring and summer, for drinking and bathing, and notes that moving or dripping water is particularly attractive. Water also draws birds that don't eat seed, such as tanagers and phoebes (Mecklenburg Audubon). Minnesota DNR keeps baths an inch deep or less, in the open and away from feeders so seed doesn't fall in; Missouri replaces the water every day or two. Depth, cleaning and drippers are compared in the bird bath guide.
- Nectar feeder in the shade: out of direct sun, sugar water lasts two or three days; change it daily on very hot days (Cornell).
- No-melt suet only, in shade: if suet stays up at all, keep it cool and shaded (Cornell); Georgia DNR brings it into the refrigerator overnight.
- Seed feeder filled about halfway and refilled often, so seed doesn't sit and mold (Cornell).
- Moved around the yard so hulls and droppings don't pile up in one spot (Cornell).
- Mealworms in a slick-sided dish on a platform, for bluebirds and other insect-eaters (Minnesota DNR; Cornell).
- Orange half on a nail for orioles and woodpeckers (Minnesota DNR); check it for fermenting (Missouri).
- Grape jelly in a shallow tray, about 1 inch deep (Minnesota DNR).
- Birdbath an inch deep or less, in the open and away from feeders, with dripping or moving water (Minnesota DNR; USFWS).
- No raw or homemade suet in summer (Cornell; Missouri).
Summer feeding checklist
- Feeders down if bears live nearby (Cornell; New York DEC)
- Black-oil or shelled sunflower as the main seed; less white millet if House Sparrows or cowbirds crowd in (Minnesota DNR)
- Feeders filled about halfway, moved now and then, cleaned about every two weeks; moldy seed thrown out (Cornell)
- Raw and homemade suet taken down; peanuts or a peanut butter–cornmeal mix instead (Cornell; Missouri; Minnesota DNR)
- Sugar water changed before it clouds, more often in heat (Cornell)
- A shallow bath with fresh water, refilled every day or two (Minnesota DNR; Missouri)
- Sick birds left alone; feeders moved and cleaned (Cornell)
Summer feeders can still keep a Bird-a-Day streak going: a fledgling grosbeak or a visiting oriole counts like any other bird.
Sources
- Should I take my feeder down when the weather starts to warm up? — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Here's What to Feed Your Summer Bird Feeder Visitors — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2014, updated 2020)
- Safe Summer Bird Feeding: Q&A With David Bonter — Pat Leonard, Living Bird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2014)
- Summer bird feeding tips — Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Nongame Wildlife Program
- Bird Feeding — Missouri Department of Conservation
- Out My Backdoor: Summer Bird Feeding — Give It a Try — Terry W. Johnson, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division
- DEC Issues Guidance to Homeowners to Avoid Problems with Bears — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (2018)
- Bird Feeding (PDF) — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1999)
- Tips for Summer Bird Feeding — Mecklenburg Audubon Society (2025)