Why Do Bird Feeders Attract Squirrels?

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Why do bird feeders attract squirrels? Bird feeders attract squirrels because they hold seed in one place that a squirrel can reach. Extension sources describe the problem the same way: a feeder that is set up to attract birds will, in the words of Penn State Extension, inevitably draw squirrels too. Once squirrels find a feeder, they can eat a lot of expensive seed and damage the feeder itself. The University of New Hampshire Extension says it is very difficult to keep them away once they have discovered feeders. The useful question is less why squirrels come and more which feeder setups limit their access.

Quick answer

A feeder is a concentrated source of seed, and squirrels will go after it. Penn State Extension says squirrels will inevitably come to a feeder meant for birds.
Squirrels take expensive seed and often chew and damage feeders, according to the University of New Hampshire Extension.
Penn State Extension describes baffles and squirrel-resistant feeders as ways to limit access, and it notes that a baffle does not stop every squirrel.
Preventing access to the feeder is the approach UNH Extension recommends over trying to remove squirrels.

What the person typing this wants to know

The person typing why do bird feeders attract squirrels usually has a feeder in the yard, has seen squirrels at it, and wants to understand the cause before deciding what to change. Some want the seed to reach birds rather than squirrels. Others want to stop the squirrels from chewing the feeder or emptying it overnight. The answer depends on which of these problems you have, and the sources treat access as the main issue.

The feeder is an easy meal

Penn State Extension answers the basic question in its guide on squirrels and bird feeders. A reader writes that squirrels are getting more food at the feeder than the birds are. The extension’s reply starts from the same point: you are trying to attract birds to your feeder, but inevitably the squirrels will come too. The guide treats this as a built-in tension. The seed that draws birds draws squirrels as well, because both animals can reach the same food.

The University of New Hampshire Extension says the same thing in different words. When squirrels gain access to bird feeders, they not only eat expensive bird seed but also often chew and damage them. That sentence names two costs: the seed that disappears and the damage to the feeder. A squirrel that finds a feeder is therefore a problem on two fronts, and the feeder is what makes the food reachable.

Why the feeder matters more than the squirrel

It is tempting to treat squirrels as the problem to solve. UNH Extension takes a different approach. Rather than concentrating on getting rid of nuisance squirrels, a better option is to prevent them from getting into feeders. That changes the goal from removing animals to controlling access to the seed. The extension’s point is that a squirrel does not need to be caught or moved if it cannot reach the food.

This also explains why the same feeder can work well in one yard and fail in another. The feeder is only one part of the setup. Where it hangs, what it hangs from, and what a squirrel can climb or jump to all decide whether the feeder is reachable. The sources we opened do not give a single distance or height that works everywhere, so this guide does not give one.

Baffles and squirrel-resistant feeders

Penn State Extension describes a baffle as a bowl- or umbrella-shaped plastic or metal barrier placed on the pole that holds the feeder. The idea is that squirrels cannot get past it. The guide adds a caution in the same sentence block: the idea is that squirrels cannot get past it, although they often do. A baffle is one tool, not a guarantee.

The same guide notes that many feeders on the market claim to be squirrel proof. Penn State Extension says you could try one of these or add a baffle to your feeder. It does not rank the feeders or name brands, so this guide does not recommend a specific model. The UNH guide also points readers toward preventing access to the feeder itself, which is the same principle that drives baffle and squirrel-resistant designs.

Offering a separate food source

Penn State Extension offers one more approach. It suggests offering squirrels dried ears of corn, peanuts or cracked corn at a location away from the feeders. The guide says this allows the squirrels to enjoy a free meal while distracting them, it is hoped, from the more expensive sunflower seed. The phrase it is hoped is the extension’s own, and it signals that the method is a hope rather than a proven fix. The guide does not say how well this works in any particular yard, so this guide does not promise it.

A separate squirrel feeder can be placed far enough from the bird feeder that the squirrels do not come close to it. The sources do not give a distance, and this guide does not invent one. The practical point is that the squirrels are offered food somewhere else, which may reduce the time they spend at the seed feeder.

Placement and the path to the feeder

A feeder is only as reachable as its path. A squirrel that can jump from a branch, a fence, a deck rail or a roof to the feeder will often do so. The sources we opened describe baffles and feeder designs, but they do not give a detailed placement rule for squirrels. The general idea in the UNH and Penn State guidance is to make the feeder hard to reach, which means thinking about where the squirrel would have to go to get to it.

Keep the feeder clear of obvious launch points. Trim branches that touch the feeder area, and avoid hanging a feeder from a structure a squirrel can climb. These are reasoned steps from the access principle, not specific measurements from a source, so this guide labels them that way.

What to watch for

Look at how the squirrels reach the feeder. If they climb the pole, a baffle on the pole addresses that route. If they jump from a nearby structure, the baffle or the placement needs to change. If they chew the feeder, UNH Extension says that is part of the damage squirrels cause once they have access. A feeder that is damaged in use may be the sign that the access problem has not been solved.

Check the feeder regularly for signs of chewing and for seed that has been moved or emptied. These signs tell you whether the setup is working. The sources do not give a schedule for checks, so this guide does not give one.

How we chose

This guide is built on two readable sources opened on 2026-10-30. Penn State Extension’s guide, “Squirrels and Bird Feeders,” was updated October 6, 2025, according to the page. The University of New Hampshire Extension article was posted in December 2018, and we used it as a readable extension source for the access approach, not for current product information. Both sources come from university extension programs and cover squirrels and bird feeders directly.

We did not include a product list. The sources name the feeder types in general terms, and they do not give model-level specifications we could check. We also did not rank feeder designs, because neither source does that.

What we could not verify

Why squirrels prefer one kind of seed over another. The sources we opened do not compare seed types for squirrels, so this guide does not make that claim.
How well any particular squirrel-proof feeder works. The sources say many feeders claim to be squirrel proof, but they do not test or rank them.
How far a separate squirrel feeder should sit from the bird feeder. The sources do not give a distance.
Whether offering corn or peanuts reduces the number of squirrels at a seed feeder. Penn State Extension says it is hoped, and the sources do not measure the result.
How high or how far from trees a feeder should hang. The sources do not give those figures.

Frequently asked questions

Is it bad that squirrels eat bird seed?

The UNH Extension article says squirrels eat expensive bird seed and often chew and damage feeders once they gain access. For most people that is the reason the problem matters. The sources do not say squirrels are harmful beyond those effects, so this guide does not make a broader claim.

Will a baffle stop every squirrel?

No, and the sources do not say it will. Penn State Extension describes the baffle idea as squirrels being unable to get past it, and then adds that they often do. A baffle reduces access, but it is not a guarantee.

Should I stop feeding birds because of squirrels?

The sources we opened do not say to stop feeding birds. UNH Extension recommends preventing squirrels from getting into feeders, which keeps the feeder in use. The choice is yours, and the sources give no reason to stop based on squirrels alone.

Do squirrels only come for seed?

The sources we opened focus on seed and feeders. They describe the feeder as an easy meal, and they describe offering corn or peanuts elsewhere as a way to give squirrels food away from the feeder. They do not list every food a squirrel might eat, so this guide does not give a full list.

Can I use a feeder that is squirrel proof and still get birds?

Yes, that is the goal the sources describe. Penn State Extension says many feeders on the market claim to be squirrel proof, and it suggests trying one or adding a baffle to a feeder you already have. The sources do not say which design works best for a given bird species.

What about greasing the pole?

The sources we opened do not cover greasing poles, so this guide does not give advice on it.

Bottom line

Squirrels come to bird feeders because the seed is a concentrated, reachable meal. The extension sources say the squirrels will come, and they focus on controlling access to the feeder rather than removing the squirrels. Start with a feeder that has a baffle or a squirrel-resistant design, check where the squirrels climb or jump from, and offer any separate food away from the seed feeder. None of these steps is a guarantee, but each one addresses the reason squirrels reach the seed.

Sources

Penn State Extension, “Squirrels and Bird Feeders.” https://extension.psu.edu/squirrels-and-bird-feeders (opened 2026-10-30; page updated October 6, 2025)
University of New Hampshire Extension, “What can I do to keep squirrels off my birdfeeders?” (blog post, December 2018). https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2018/12/what-can-i-do-keep-squirrels-my-birdfeeders (opened 2026-10-30)