Gardening Wild Birds Attracting & Feeding Birds

20 Plans for DIY Bird Feeders

Updated on 11/01/21

Blue Jay on a bird feeder — Philippe Gerber / Getty Images

These DIY bird feeders will give your backyard feathered friends a place to rest and get a quick snack or meal before they continue their flight. You'll find that these bird feeder projects are simple to complete; some of them even a child can make. Most of these projects use objects you already have, many made from rarely used kitchen items. Many of these feeders cost less than $10 to fabricate—if anything at all. A few require some building, but they're still easy projects and the perfect choice for someone just beginning with woodworking.

Here are 20 bird feeders you can make yourself—some take a few minutes, while others might take an afternoon.

After you've made one of these DIY bird feeders, consider giving the birds a place to stay with these free birdhouse plans.

01 of 20

Easy DIY Bird Feeder

Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

This DIY bird feeder from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom will not only feed the birds but also house them! Cute little birdhouses are bought pre-made and then painted before being glued onto the base. Birdseed is scattered on the platform giving birds a place to grab a quick bite. The whole bird feeder is on a hanger that you can hang on a tree, hook, or anywhere else you'd like to showcase this cheerful DIY project.
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Acorn Bird Feeder Tutorial

Tried & True Creative

Wire mesh and a wooden bowl make up this unique bird feeder from Tried & True Creative, shaped like an acorn. With just a few other supplies and some standard tools, you can make this DIY bird feeder too. It not only feeds the birds, but it makes a unique yard decoration that all your neighbors will envy.
03 of 20

Teacup Bird Feeder How-To

Practically Functional

This Practically Functional adorable little bird feeder is made from a teacup! The saucer allows the birdseed to sit while birds can fly up and perch anywhere on the saucer or cup to enjoy their meal. The whole thing is hung from a string so that you can display it anywhere you'd like in your yard. This project is a great way to recycle old cups with chips or broken handles, glue them on their sides onto their saucers as a base, and turn them into birdseed spillway.
04 of 20

DIY Macramé Hummingbird Feeder

Lovely Indeed

Using just a few basic macramé knots, you can make a bird feeder from Lovely Indeed that holds a hummingbird feeder tube. Add some red or pink spray paint to your macrame cord, and you'll have a cute feeder that will attract hummingbirds with its bright colors.

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05 of 20

DIY Bird Feeder

Wine and Glue

These DIY bird feeders from Simple Joy are fun for kids to make and a lot of fun to make yourself. Birdseed bonds together to form shapes like the stars shown here, and a hole is created so you can tie a ribbon around the bird feeder. Hang these beauties from a tree and watch the birds enjoy them.
06 of 20

Simple Modern Bird Feeder

Delia Creates

Create a modern place for your birds to eat with this DIY bird feeder from Delia Creates. Planter sauces, wooden beads, dowels, and rope make up this project. Put all together; it makes a fun, modern bird feeder that would look great on a porch, deck, or outside of a window.
07 of 20

Popsicle Bird Feeder

Tonya Staab

This DIY bird feeder project from Tonya Staab works well for kids, and adults will love it, too. Popsicle sticks are put together with glue to form this little holder for the bird seeder. A large tongue depressor is used to give the birds a place to perch. These bird feeders can be painted or left as-is before hanging.
08 of 20

Wine Bottle Bird Feeder

Elizabeth Joan Designs

This Elizabeth Joan Designs DIY bird feeder uses an upside-down wine bottle to hold the birdseed, and it sits on a base where the birdseed falls out. The base and house you build with wood give the birds many places to sit and wait for their turn at the feeder.

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Rustic Log Bird Feeder

House of Hawthornes

This unique bird feeder from House of Hawthornes starts with a regular log. Holes are drilled in the log, and then suet is added to attract the birds. There are plenty of tips for drilling holes in the wood and using some alternatives to suet.
10 of 20

Milk Carton Bird Feeder

Boulder Locavore

This beautiful bird feeder from Boulder Locavore starts with an unlikely material—a milk carton. This simple container is covered with contact paper after holes are made for the birds to get into the feeder and the string hanging the milk carton. The result is a beautiful and unique bird feeder.
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Simple Macramé Orange Bird Feeder

Blue Corduroy

A simple bird feeder is an orange peel stuffed with birdseed. Attach a string so it can hang. Macramé knots are added to give it a fresh, modern look.
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Flat Tray Bird Feeder

EJ_Rodriquez / Getty Images

You can make a wooden tray bird feeder as described in this tutorial from Home Depot in an afternoon. It is shaped like a tray and is simple to make—a perfect project for beginners. Build a tray with at least 1-inch sides or repurpose a wooden tray and mount it or hang it from a tree. Don't hang it too high since you have to refill it. A simple DIY wooden bird feeder woodworking project can also be an excellent activity for kids, with an adult assisting by cutting the wood and supervising.

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Toilet Tube Bird Feeder

Sean Foster / Unsplash

Toilet rolls essentially exist in every household, but we end up throwing the cardboard tube away. Toilet paper tubes are often used in many recycled or upcycled DIY products, and bird feeder takes minutes to craft. Coat the toilet paper roll tube with peanut butter and roll on a thick coat of birdseed. Use a thick twine through the center and tie it up onto a tree branch. You don't have to decorate it, and it's easily replaceable.
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Terra Cotta Bird Feeder

All Things Heart and Home

A DIY bird feeder that looks pretty, usually fitting in with a garden or manicured yard, can be made from a terra cotta flower pot. There are many ways to make them, but one tricky part is drilling holes in the clay pot and saucer. It's tough since it can spell disaster for a clay pot, but a pro tip is to soak both pieces in water overnight to make drilling easier.
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Soup Ladle Bird Feeder

Andy Edwards / Getty Images

Get an old-fashioned, deep-scooped soup ladle and turn it into a DIY bird feeder. Shiny metal is a bird attractant, too. You can do this project in 10 minutes. If you have a wooden board, you can attach it using the top hanging hole most ladles have. Use twine to wrap the bottom half of the spoon to the board or drill two holes near the bottom of the ladle and thread it through and around the bottom of the ladle handle to keep it from moving. Hang it on the side of your home, shed, or balcony, and add birdseed.
16 of 20

Egg Carton Bird Feeder

PATSTOCK / Getty Images

Give paper egg cartons a longer life by making a birdseed tray out of them. Punch holes in the four corners, string it, fill with seed, and hang it in your garden or outdoor area. The longest part of the process is getting a ladder or stepstool to put it up. Paper egg cartons will eventually disintegrate in the weather, so after a week or so, take it down and replace it with your next empty egg carton. If you have young children who love to craft with you, ask them to paint the exterior of the carton (keep the paint away from the interior part).

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Bundt Cake Pan Feeder

Kelly Elko

If you are the type of person who received angel food cake or Bundt cake pans as gifts but rarely, if ever, use them, then give your cake pan new life as a bird feeder. Winter birds will thank you (in the best way they know how) by gracing your home's yard. For hanging, wrap twine around a tennis ball or block of wood, place it under the pan and bring the two ends of twine up through the center hole. You can also drill some evenly placed holes along the rim and use planter chains to hang up this feeder.
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Empty Beverage Container Bird Feeder

James Andrews / Getty Images

Empty plastic soda bottles or gallon milk jug containers also make good DIY winter bird feeders. Tie some twine or string around the bottle, add perches—tree twigs, pencils, dowels, chopsticks, or wooden spoons—and insert birdseed into the receptacle and you're good to go.
19 of 20

Paper Plate Feeder

Happy Hooligans

Similar to a tray feeder, a flat surface is an invitation for a bird party. Many birds can come to the plate at once. If you get a wicker paper plate holder, it looks rustic and natural, particularly if you use twine. Replace the paper plate every few days with new seed. To keep the birdseed from blowing away, spread a thin layer of peanut butter along the plate surface and coat it with bird seeds. Involve the kids in this activity by asking the little ones to string Cheerios onto the twine, giving the birds a double feast.
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Tin Can Bird Feeder

Birds & Blooms

Used soup or bean cans come in handy as DIY bird feeders, too. Peel the paper wrapper from the can, and if you're so inclined or your children are, paint the exterior. Use thick leather or suede construction or gardening gloves to protect your hands from the sharp edges of the can. To protect the bird's delicate feet from the sharp can rim, you can carefully cut notches about an inch or two long, then peel and curl back the can. As a safer alternative, you can get a thick gauge twine or thin jute rope and hot glue it along the rim of the can. Decorate the hanging strings with colorful beads or Cheerios. Hot glue a stick perch leading to the can's seed-filled opening.