Seeing Food

• Most birds find feeders because they see the food they like to eat. Many feeders are clear, and sometimes birders scatter food near the feeder to make it more visible. Birds can see well, so they may find the food while flying through a yard or while purposefully seeking out food. Some types of bird food, such as fruit, are even easier to locate because of their size.
  
  

Recognizing Feeders

• Because so many people feed birds, some birds recognize the shape and size of feeders in general and associate them with food. For instance, your neighbor down the street may use a certain type of feeder, so birds flying over your yard will identify your similar feeder as a place to find food.
  
  

By Chance

• Many species of bird forage in bushes and trees and on the ground in search of food. If your feeder has food scattered about, or if it's hanging from a favorite bush, it's likely some birds will find it by accident. Abert's towhee, for example, forages on the ground and "samples" items that may be food.
  
  

Color

• Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to red things, and feeders that have bright red on them help the birds find the feeder. Most hummingbird feeders use this tactic to assist the birds, and homemade ones can include a red bow instead.
  
  

Sound

• Birds also hear very well, which makes sense considering they use sound to attract mates and defend their territories. Water is crucial to their survival, and some birders place feeders near dripping water. This tactic makes use of their need to drink water and their excellent hearing.
  
  

Habit

• Many birds find feeders by going back to locations they have used before. Some species will come back year after year to the same yard--a routine that helps researchers learn more about birds and migratory patterns.
  
  

Not Smell

• Despite the belief that birds use their sense of smell to reject babies when touched by humans, birds actually have a very poorly developed sense of smell. It is thought that turkey vultures do smell well, which is their primary way of finding carrion. But turkey vultures are the exception, not the rule. The majority of bird species don't use smell to locate their food.