# How do birds find bird feeders? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454 "2011-05-19T15:35:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/21 "2011-05-20T10:49:44Z")
A few decades ago there was a documentary by a man in England that tested sparrows for being able to open complex contraptions to get some food. The birds always managed to figure out how to get visible food out of the puzzle box feeders. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/22 "2011-05-20T14:31:07Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > Don’t forget memory. Bird life expectancy is low, but a reasonable number of birds live from year to year. I’ve always wondered about that. The black capped chickadees that frequent our feeders are eerily tame. They will sit right on the feeder platform while I’m filling it. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/23 "2011-05-20T14:53:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve always wondered about that. The black capped chickadees that frequent our feeders are eerily tame. They will sit right on the feeder platform while I’m filling it. This could well be situational. As noted birds are quick learners – even if they’re skittish around people generally, they’ve likely figured out that someone bringing them food is safe. Try holding out a handful of seed and see how long it takes them to get used to feeding from there. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/24 "2011-05-20T15:35:59Z")
There’s a park in my area where the chickadees will gladly land on your hand and eat the bird seed. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/25 "2011-05-20T15:53:58Z")
Points taken. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/26 "2011-05-20T19:00:45Z")
I’m not sure I had a point, as such. We don’t have chickadees here, so my knowledge of them is entirely confined to the works of WC Fields. Not much to go on, ornithologically speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/27 "2011-05-20T19:59:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > There is often spilled seed on the ground as well. Your gardner isn’t named Onan, is he? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/28 "2011-05-21T00:07:42Z")
> [@TerpBE](#): > > Actually most of them use twitter instead. The birds I see are constantly tweeting. That certainly explains the quality of content on most twitter subscriptions. Idiot bird-brains indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454/29 "2011-05-21T00:22:09Z")
It’s my understanding they use Google maps [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-birds-find-bird-feeders/582454.md?page=1)