A clear tube, so you can see when it is empty.
The clear body is the useful part. You can check the level from across the room rather than opening the cage and disturbing a bird that has settled.
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Why you'll love it
An opaque feeder gets refilled when someone remembers. A clear one gets refilled when it is low, which matters most in winter when garden birds come to depend on a reliable source.
Squirrels and larger birds chew plastic lids apart to get at a full hopper. Putting metal at the top and bottom is what keeps a cheap tube feeder working for more than a season.
Small birds will not feed in the open. A feeder within a couple of metres of a shrub or hedge gets used far more than the same feeder in the middle of a lawn.
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Seed eating birds crack the shell and drop it straight back where they found it. Within a day a feeder can be entirely husk with the seed eaten out from underneath, and from the outside it still looks full. Birds have starved in front of an apparently well stocked feeder.
The habit that prevents it takes seconds. Blow gently across the surface each morning and the husks lift away, showing what is genuinely left underneath. Do it at the same time as changing the water and it becomes automatic rather than something to remember.
An opaque feeder has to be opened to be checked, and opening a cage disturbs a settled bird every time. A clear tube lets you see the reserve at a glance from outside, so you know whether it needs attention before you go anywhere near it.
It also shows you the rate of consumption, which is worth watching. A bird eating noticeably less than usual is often the earliest sign that something is wrong, and birds hide illness well, so a change in the feeder level can be the first thing you notice.
Mount it at a height the bird can reach comfortably from a perch, and somewhere it does not have to squeeze past a toy to get to. In a multi bird cage, two feeding stations at opposite ends prevents a dominant bird guarding the only source, which is a common and easily missed problem.
Seed alone is not an adequate diet for most companion birds, and a seed only bird is typically short of vitamin A and calcium. A hanging feeder handles the dry component; fresh vegetables, a calcium source and, for many species, a formulated pellet all belong alongside it in a separate dish.
Filling it to the brim is a false economy. A tube holding a fortnight of seed means the bottom third is always stale, and the bird eats down through fresher seed to reach it. Fill enough for a few days and top up more often, which keeps the whole reserve fresh and makes the daily check quicker.
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The details
Empty it completely every week rather than topping it up indefinitely. Old seed at the bottom of a tube goes stale, loses vitamin content and can grow mould in a humid room, and repeatedly adding fresh seed on top keeps that layer permanently in place.
Wash it with hot water and a bottle brush, since a rinse does not reach the inside of a narrow tube. Dry it thoroughly before refilling, because damp seed clumps against the walls and blocks the feeding port, which is the usual reason a full feeder stops delivering.
Loved by real pet parents
The whole reason I swapped away from a solid feeder is that I never knew it was empty until the birds stopped coming. The clear tube means I glance out of the window and know. I am refilling every three days at the moment with the numbers we get.
It works well with sunflower hearts but a finer mixed seed runs out of the ports faster than the birds can eat it and I get a scatter underneath. The metal top and base feel like they will last years. I have switched to a coarser mix and it is much better behaved.
My previous tube feeder had a plastic lid that a squirrel took off within a month. The metal top on this one has been chewed at and shows the marks but it is still sealed shut. It hangs off a branch on the ring and swings without spilling.
I hung it in the middle of the lawn at first and barely a bird touched it for a fortnight. Moved it to within about two metres of the hedge as the description suggests and it was busy the same afternoon. The perches either side mean two can feed at once.
At 21.5 cm tall it holds less than I assumed from the photographs and in a busy week I am out there every other day with the seed bag. Nothing wrong with how it works and the clear body is genuinely useful. I would want a taller one for a garden this size.
No trees on a first floor flat so the ring goes over a hook on the balcony rail. Goldfinches found it within a week and both perches are almost always occupied. The black body means it does not stand out against the railings.
I had it up from November and the metal base has not rusted or seized despite being rained on constantly. Being able to see the seed level mattered most in the cold weeks when they were emptying it fast. It comes apart for a rinse easily enough.
The hanging ring is on the narrow side and would not go over the hook I already had on the tree, so I used a crook stand instead. Once it is hung it is steady and the seed drops to the ports properly. Being able to read the level without taking it down is still the best part.
My old feeder was opaque and I only found out it was empty when I took it down to check. With the clear tube I top it up when it gets to the bottom third. The metal base unscrews for cleaning and has not stuck once.
Good questions
No. The supplier's title says automatic; it is a gravity hopper with no timer and no moving parts. Seed falls as it is eaten, and it stops when the tube is empty.
A tube of this port size suits sunflower hearts and mixed seed. Nyjer is too fine and pours out; peanuts are too big and jam.
Every couple of weeks, and more in wet weather. Damp seed at the base of a tube feeder grows mould, and mouldy feeders make garden birds ill.
Blow the husks off daily to see what is actually left, and empty it completely once a week rather than topping it up. Old seed at the bottom goes stale and stays there otherwise.
Not really. A tube keeps food off the cage base but birds still flick husks as they eat. An enclosed feed box and a mesh cage skirt are what reduce the mess.
No. A seed only diet is typically short of vitamin A and calcium. Offer fresh vegetables, a calcium source, and for many species a formulated pellet alongside it.
Last reviewed 30 August 2026