Classic Tube Seed Feeder

The plain green tube feeder you have seen hanging in other people's gardens. There is a reason it is the shape everyone settles on — it holds a lot of seed, it keeps the rain off, and there is almost nothing to go wrong with it.

Seed sits in the clear tube and feeds down to two ports at the bottom as the birds empty it. A wire handle loops over the top, so it hangs from a branch, a hook or a shepherd's pole without any hardware.

What you get

• Clear tube with a dark green lid, base and perches, about 11 inches tall
• Two feeding ports with a perch either side — four birds can feed at once
• Wire hanging bail that folds down out of the way
• Lid lifts off in one piece for filling; base unscrews for cleaning

What to put in it

Black oil sunflower is the single best seed for this feeder — nearly every backyard bird eats it and the shells are thin. A general mixed seed works too. Skip anything with a lot of milo or cracked corn; the birds kick it out onto the ground.

Which birds come

Cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, titmice and sparrows. The perches are long enough for a cardinal to sit properly, which a lot of small tube feeders get wrong.

Keeping it clean

Twist the base off, tip out the dust at the bottom, rinse with warm water and let it dry fully before refilling. Every two or three weeks in warm weather, less often in winter. Wet seed at the bottom is what makes birds sick, so the empty-and-dry step matters more than scrubbing.

Ships within two days. Allow about two weeks for delivery.