To attract the widest variety of birds to your back yard during the year, set up several types of feeders with different types of feeds. Fill a hanging feeder with sunflower seed, set up a tray feeder with mixed seeds and cracked corn, put out a suet feeder, and hang a hummingbird feeder. Don't forget the water. All birds need water to drink and to bathe. Keep it filled daily with fresh water, and keep it clean.
Cleanliness discourages mosquito larvae from developing and hatching and keeps the birds healthier.
A hanging feeder with sunflower seed attracts chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, American goldfinches, purple and house finches, pine siskins, grosbeaks, sparrows, and many others. A tray feeder filled with mixed seeds and cracked corn attracts cardinals, juncos, sparrows, mourning doves, pigeons, jays, crows, blackbirds, bobwhites and others. Keeping a tray feeder away from the hanging feeder will keep conflicts between aggressive birds and the more timid birds at a minimum. A suet feeder attracts woodpeckers, chickadees, titmouse, nuthatches, mockingbirds, and more. Discourage squirrels from raiding your feeders by placing them at least five feet high and eight feet away from any potential springboards such as tree trunks and limbs.