Gifts for Bird Lovers: Ideas for Every Kind of Birder

The best gifts for bird lovers are things they will use every week: a feeder that solves a problem they have, binoculars that make birds brighter and closer, plants that feed birds for years, or a day spent somewhere full of birds. Decorative bird-themed items are fine, but practical gear and good experiences are what a birder remembers.

Before you shop, think about how the person enjoys birds. Do they watch a backyard feeder with their morning coffee, drive to a wildlife refuge on weekends, or photograph what they see? Do they live in a house, an apartment, or somewhere with snowy winters? The ideas below are grouped so you can match a gift to the birder.

Gifts for the backyard feeder fan

People who feed birds usually own a feeder or two already. The best feeding gifts add something new or fix an everyday annoyance.

• A different type of feeder. If they have a tube feeder, a suet cage, a platform or a nectar feeder brings in different birds. Our guide to types of bird feeders explains who each one attracts. Choose a design that comes apart easily for cleaning; hard-to-clean feeders end up unused.
• A squirrel baffle. Few gifts are more appreciated by someone losing a daily battle with squirrels. A baffle only works when it is placed right, so see how to place a squirrel baffle before choosing one for a pole or a hanging feeder.
• Seed, and a can to keep it in. A large bag of black oil sunflower or sunflower hearts in a metal can with a tight lid is a gift that gets used right away. Add a scoop.
• A bird bath. Water brings in birds that never touch seed. Look for a shallow basin, about 1 to 2 inches deep, with a rough surface for footing. In cold regions, a heated bath or a bath heater keeps water open in winter.
• A cleaning kit. Long bottle brushes, a small nectar-port brush and a pair of rubber gloves make a modest but genuinely useful stocking stuffer.

Gifts for watching birds

• Binoculars. Often the biggest upgrade for a bird lover. An 8x magnification is a common all-round choice for birding because the image is steadier and the field of view wider than at higher power. Waterproofing and a close focusing distance are worth having. Our guide on how to choose binoculars for bird watching walks through the numbers on the barrel.
• A window feeder. A small feeder that attaches to the glass brings chickadees and finches within arm's length of an indoor chair. It suits apartment dwellers and anyone who doesn't get outside much.
• A bird feeder camera. A feeder with a built-in camera lets them see on their phone which birds visit. Our guide on whether a bird feeder camera is a good gift covers who it suits and who it doesn't.
• A regional field guide. A guide covering just their part of the country is lighter and easier to use than a continent-wide one. Beginners get the most from one with clear range maps.
• A bird journal. A good notebook for a yard list, first-of-season dates and sketches. Many birders keep one for decades.
• Window collision markers. Dots, tape or cord hung outside the glass in a pattern no more than about 2 inches apart help birds see the window. It is a gift for the birds as much as the birder.

Garden gifts that feed birds for years

Plants keep giving long after a bag of seed is gone, and they bring in insect-eating birds that feeders rarely attract.

• Native shrubs and trees. Berry producers feed birds across the seasons: serviceberry in early summer, and dogwood, viburnum and winterberry holly in fall and winter. Choose species native to the recipient's region; a gift card to a local native plant nursery lets them pick.
• Seed flower packets. Sunflowers, zinnias, coneflowers and black-eyed Susans feed goldfinches when they go to seed in late summer.
• A nest box sized for local birds. A bluebird box needs a 1½-inch entrance hole; a chickadee box about 1⅛ inches. Look for boxes with no perch, ventilation gaps, drainage holes and a side or roof that opens for cleaning. Give it in winter so it can go up before nesting season.
• A winter roosting box. In cold climates, a box with the entrance near the bottom gives small birds a sheltered place to spend freezing nights.

Experiences and learning

For the person who already has the gear, time outdoors is often the best gift. Most of these cost little, and several support birds at the same time.

• A guided bird walk or a beginner's class through a local bird club, nature center or state park. Many clubs lead free walks, so the gift can be a morning together.
• A membership in a local bird club, nature center or land trust, which often includes field trips and talks.
• A trip timed to migration. A day at a wildlife refuge, a shoreline or a hawk-watching lookout during spring or fall migration is one of the best ways to see many species in a single morning.
• A photography workshop for someone who already carries a camera on walks.
• A donation in their name to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or a local habitat project.

More ideas, from boat tours to banding demonstrations, are in our guide to birding experiences as gifts.

Matching the gift to the birder

What to avoid, and a quick checklist before you buy

A few popular bird gifts do more harm than good, and some well-meant ones end up unused.

• Birdhouses built as decorations. Perches help predators, painted interiors and missing drainage or ventilation make a poor nest, and a box that can't be opened can't be cleaned.
• Cheap seed mixes full of filler. Mixes heavy on red milo, wheat and oats get scattered on the ground by many feeder birds.
• Red-dyed nectar. Hummingbirds don't need it. Plain sugar water in a feeder with red parts works.
• Anything meant to feed birds bread or salty snacks.

1. Check whether their home allows feeders; some apartments and homeowner associations restrict them.
2. In bear country, choose gifts that don't depend on year-round seed feeding, such as plants, a bath or binoculars.
3. Ask a family member what they already own, so the new feeder isn't their fourth tube.
4. For small add-ons, see our list of stocking stuffers for bird lovers.

Written by the Backyard Birdcam team with AI assistance. Found something we got wrong? Email shop@smarternewsnow.com and we will fix it. How we write our guides.