The four shapes we stock are not four versions of the same thing. They mount differently, they leak differently, and they suit different gardens. Choosing on appearance alone is how people end up with a beautiful bottle that they never refill because it is a nuisance to clean.
Here is what each format is genuinely good at.
Inverted glass bottles
The classic shape: a glass reservoir inverted over a base, held up by vacuum. They hold the most, they look the best, and they are the ones people photograph. Capacities in this group run from about eight ounces to thirty-six.
The trade-off is leaking. A vacuum feeder drips when the air inside expands, which happens whenever the sun moves onto it. That is not a fault in a particular bottle, it is how the mechanism works. Shade largely solves it, and a good seal at the base solves the rest.
Saucer and dish feeders
A saucer feeder holds nectar in a shallow dish below the ports, so there is no vacuum and effectively nothing to leak. It also means ants cannot reach the nectar by following a drip, because there is no drip.
They hold less, typically sixteen ounces or under, and the nectar level is visible at a glance which makes it easy to see when it is time. For anyone who has fought a losing battle with ants, the saucer is the answer.
Window feeders
A suction-cup feeder on a kitchen or study window puts a hummingbird about a foot from your face, and that experience is genuinely different from watching one across a garden. They are small, usually three ounces or so, which suits the fill-little-and-often principle anyway.
Two practical notes. Clean the glass and the cup thoroughly before mounting or it will fall in a week, and choose a window that is shaded for part of the day. And contrary to what people expect, a feeder attached directly to glass reduces window strikes rather than causing them, because the bird is approaching a target it can see rather than flying past.
Mini and plastic feeders
Small plastic feeders get dismissed as the cheap option and they have a real use: they are the ones to put out in a second location, or on a balcony, or as extras during migration when one feeder becomes a defended territory and a single dominant bird keeps everything else away.
Spreading three small feeders around a garden out of sight of each other reliably supports more birds than one large feeder does, because no individual can guard them all. That is a better use of the same money than upgrading to a bigger bottle.
Ports, perches and bee guards
Ports with integrated bee guards restrict the opening to something a hummingbird bill reaches and a bee does not. They work, and the cost is that they are one more thing to clean.
Perches are a matter of preference rather than necessity. Hummingbirds hover perfectly well but they prefer to perch if given the option, and a perched bird stays much longer, which is the entire point if you are watching.
Capacity is the last thing to decide
Almost everyone buys too large. Capacity should follow from how many birds visit and how fast the nectar spoils where you live, and in Central Florida the spoilage clock usually decides it.
A useful rule: buy the size you will empty in three days at the height of the season, and accept that in the quiet months you will be filling it a quarter full. That is normal and it is much better than throwing away most of every batch.
From our shelves
Window feeders, for anyone who wants the birds within arm’s length. Everything below is in stock as this piece is published, and the prices shown are read live from the catalogue rather than typed into the article, so they cannot drift out of date. Across the whole group prices currently run from $8.99 to $15.99, and the listing pages carry the full specification for each one.
- iBorn Window Hummingbird Feeder, Red 3-Pack with Strong Suction Cups & Bee-Proof Design — $15.99
Attract vibrant hummingbirds right to your window with this iBorn 3-pack feeder set. Featuring strong suction cups for flexible placement and an easy-clean design, these bee-proof feeders offer an intimate birdwatching experience for all ages. - iBorn Window Hummingbird Feeder – Red 3oz Mini with Strong Suction Cup — $8.99
Bring the joy of hummingbirds up close with the iBorn Window Feeder. Its secure suction cup and durable stainless steel design offer clear, uninterrupted views, making it a perfect gift for any bird enthusiast.
These are 2 of the items in Window Feeders; the category page lists the rest with current stock and pricing.
Ordering, delivery and returns
Orders under $49 carry a $5.99 delivery charge; at $49 and above there is none. Orders are packed in one to three business days and travel for five to ten, so plan on six to thirteen business days between placing an order and opening the box. Everything ships from Orlando, FL, to United States addresses.
If something is not right, the return window is 30 days from delivery for unused goods in their original packaging. The Shipping Policy and the Refund and Returns Policy carry the detail, and the FAQ answers the questions that come up most often.
Read next
- Hummingbird nectar: the only recipe you need
- Cleaning a hummingbird feeder in Florida heat
- Ants, bees and wasps at the feeder
Browse everything in stock or ask us a question — we answer written enquiries within one business day.
