Does your mom holler at you to come and look at a bird in her feeder? Does she send you pictures of her favorite cardinal in the birdbath? If so, your mom is a bona fide bird nerd.
Lucky you, because this is a list of perfect Christmas bird gifts for mom that she will love to open on Christmas morning. She will be thrilled to get anything on this list!
This post is a list of 12 perfect Christmas bird gifts for Mom. This list is perfect for all types of bird enthusiasts. From those backyard birder Mom’s to those who head out on the trail with a good pair of binoculars to spot different bird species heading through the territory, your bird loving mom would love to receive anything on this list!
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Gift Ideas: 12 Perfect Christmas Bird Gifts for Mom
Bird feeders are some of the best gifts for bird-loving moms because different feeders attract different birds. So even if you think your bird nerd mom has a bunch of feeders, you can get her a type she doesn’t have yet.
Another option is that if she already has a certain type of bird feeder that gets a lot of traffic, she might want a second one to put up in another part of the yard. We have multiple hummingbird and suet feeders scattered around the yard, so don’t worry if she already has one. A new bird feeder is always an ideal gift.
Lastly, if the birds visit regularly, these feeders get worn down! This is particularly true for the wooden ones. So a replacement is not just a great idea, but also an important thing to keep the bird from getting sick.
To go along with each of the bird feeders listed, we will also include some links to the food or seed types that go with each feeder. Getting your mom a bird feeder with the seed to go with it is the best way to give a thoughtful Christmas gift.
We have links included here for convenience but if you want to look through everything, head on over to our bird nerd storefront.
Classic Tube Feeder
We will start off with a great, classic bird feeder. This feeder attracts a lot of different birds, especially if you fill it with black oil sunflower seeds.
Generally speaking, we recommend black oil sunflower seeds rather than general bird seed mixes because the mixes usually have a bunch of filler that the birds don’t really seem to like, and it just gets wasted.
This feeder is great for a few reasons. It is metal rather than plastic, so it will hold up much better. We started with a plastic one, and the squirrels ate through the plastic feeding holes and basically ruined it. Metal feeders are the way to go.
Speaking of squirrels, that is the second reason we recommend this type of metal feeder. This is a smart bird feeder design that closes the feeding holes if a heavier creature (squirrel!) gets on it.
The little metal bird shapes aren’t just decorative, they serve a purpose. A squirrel’s weight will cause the whole outer portion to slide down. As the cage slides down, these shapes cover up the food holes so the squirrel can’t get to the seeds. The squirrel will quickly head back down to the ground when they can’t get to the food.
Thistle Feeder
This type of feeder is specifically designed to hold thistle seed, which is a highly attractive seed to finches. There are many different type of finches you can attract to your yard, and none more gorgeous than the goldfinches pictured here.
We will note that the finches also seem to love black oil sunflower seeds, so we often stick with that. But many people swear by their thistle seed!
Peanut Feeder
We love to include peanuts in our bird food feeders because it is what attracted the crows to the yard! You will also have regular blue jay visitors as well. We will often put whole, in shell peanuts in our tray feeders (see below) as well as put shelled peanuts in a feeder like this.
This bag is what we get of the peanuts in shell, as we take out a scoop a day to put on the trays. Admittedly, it might be a bit much (lol) so there are other peanut options included in our storefront.
Tray Feeder
Tray feeders are great both as a hanging feeder and as a ground feeder. We have a few of these hanging tray feeders and they are very popular with the birds.
In the summer, we have one that has black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts, while the other one is dedicated to fruits like orange halves and grapes. They attract very different types of birds!
Hanging Tray Feeder
Ground Tray Feeder
As mentioned, squirrels (rabbits too!) are ever present around bird feeders. One thing to keep in mind is if you have a ground tray feeder, this is fine dining for the squirrels. They will go through it very quickly.
Even saying that, we still like to use ground tray feeders for those birds that prefer to ground feed like robins, cardinals and our ever loved crows. We love to befriend the crows!
There are lots of different styles of ground tray feeders but we didn’t want to put them all here or you would be here all day! If you are looking for more options, you can easily see and compare the different types and styles in our storefront.
Window Tray Feeder
These are great options to get a close up view of the birds without leaving the house. They are also a fantastic idea for those who may not have yards or who have limited space.
Hummingbird Feeder
Attracting hummingbirds to your yard is such a coup. They are fascinating to watch and so beautiful. Even though they are tiny, they are extremely territorial when it comes to other hummingbirds. Once they find your feeders, they will fight to keep other hummingbirds off them. It makes for quite a show!
There are two important things to think about when getting hummingbird feeders.
One, make sure the top is flat so you can sit it on the counter while you fill it with hummingbird food.
Two, make sure it will be able to hang where you want it. We prefer the wire rather than the hook hangers, like the one featured here, as sometimes the hooks are not long enough or are too narrow to fit over our shepherds hook.
We make our hummingbird food since it is just sugar and water. You have to replace it regularly or it will make the birds sick, so making it ourselves is easier.
The ratio is one cup of sugar to four cups of water. Our feeder holds just under 2 cups of water so we do half a cup of sugar. Boil it, let it cool, and then swap it out.
Suet Feeders
We use suet feeders during the winter – basically we swap out the hummingbird feeders to suet feeders after the last of the hummingbirds have departed in the fall.
We put up suet feeders during the colder months to help the birds survive the winter. Plus, suet melts and gets messy in the summer.
This suet basket is the most economical gift on this list, and it works great! We have two and they are regularly visited by woodpeckers as well as other suet eating birds, all winter long.
We get this box of ten to have all season long – you would be surprised at how fast they can go through these.
Suet comes in lots of different options, to attract different types of birds. We have several other styles of suet feeders listed on our storefront, as well as the numerous different types of suet you may want to get.
Baltimore Oriole Feeder
These are some of the most stunning birds and we freak out when they find our feeders! They are brilliant orange and just so gorgeous!
You won’t attract orioles to your yard with seeds or peanuts. They like fruit and grape jelly. Really! We were amazed at how quickly they found the jelly feeder and once they do, they will visit you all season long.
This feeder will offer them both of their favorites, and it has ant and wasp guards as well.
We often heard that they want orange slices, which they do, but we have found what they really love is grape jelly! We don’t know if it is our imagination, but they seem to specifically love this type of grape jelly over all others.
That covers most of the types of feeders that your bird loving mom would love to get on Christmas – or really any day! These feeders offer many different kinds of seed and bird food so your bird loving mama will be happy when she sees all these feathered friends in her yard.
We have many more listed in our storefront, so if you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, check out the options there. Makes it easy to look at all the different things at once!
Gift Ideas: 12 Perfect Christmas Bird Gifts for Mom
Here are a few bird-themed gifts that go great with a bird feeder, or are good to gift if they already have plenty of bird feeders for now.
Shepherds Hook
This is the easiest and most convenient way to hang up a bird feeder! You can place it wherever you want and with two prongs, you can put two types of feeders up and watch all the different birds come and visit.
Bird Bath
If your mom is a seasoned vet when it comes to birding, or if she has been doing it a long time, it is always a great option to get water features to add to the bird watching experience. This is why we love to get a bird bath. They need to be kept up or replaced regularly so that it doesn’t negatively impact the birds.
Add to it a solar fountain to get the running water that attracts so many birds! She will love this gift combination!
Bird Feeder with Camera
These feeders with cameras are the latest and greatest things when it comes to bird feeders, and as bird nerds ourselves, we are here for it! This is a great way to add to the birdwatching experience, and one of the most perfect Christmas gifts for bird lovers!
Gift Ideas: 12 Perfect Christmas Bird Gifts for Mom
We hope this gift guide of 11 Perfect Christmas Bird Gifts for Mom has given you the perfect gift idea for your Mom this Christmas – or any day! Most nature lovers love to see any kind of birds in their areas, and everything listed here is a wonderful addition to make that happen.
If you are looking for some other seasonal content or outdoor gift ideas besides just bird related gifts, check out our posts of container gardening ideas, raised garden beds or cosmos flowers.
We also have other posts that are not just outdoorsy stuff! You will find some awesome affordable ideas in our Slowestuff blog posts gifts for her and gifts under $50 for all.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, and Happy Birding!
SLOWESTUFF