The 5 Best Baltimore Oriole Feeder Reviews Plus How to Attract These Orange & Black Birds
Orioles are a sight to behold when you find them frolicking in a yard.
If you have them in your neighborhood, my guess is you would want to attract them to YOUR yard.
Here’s how:
The best, and perhaps, the only way is to offer them their favorite food in the right feeder.
In this guide, I’ll show you the best Oriole feeders that can serve their favorite feed, like nectar, jelly, and even fruits...
Quick Picks:
- Best Overall: Birds Choice Oriole-Fest Oriole Feeder
- Best for Fruit: Kettle Moraine Recycled Oriole Fruit Feeder
- Best Value & for Nectar: First Nature 3088 Oriole Feeder
- Best for Fruit & Jelly: Birds Choice SNOF Oriole Feeder
- Best Jelly Dispenser: Perky-Pet 253 Oriole Jelly Feeder
5 Best Oriole Feeders For Nectar, Jelly & Fruits Reviewed
1. Best Overall - Birds Choice Oriole-Fest Oriole Feeder
The base is a reservoir for nectar and is covered with a lid that doubles as a jelly cup or for mealworms and fruit slices. The metal hook can be used as a fruit skewer for orange halves which orioles love.
The orange color of the lid is like a magnet to draw Orioles to the feeder. But, it also attracts Hummingbirds and other birds that stumble upon the feeder and like what they see.
The thing is, the nectar reservoir is somewhat small with just 12oz capacity.
Plus, it can turn into a bee graveyard if you don’t use the bee guards that come with the feeder. However, it comes with an ant guard against those sugar-loving creatures.
It’s also a great idea it now comes with a bee guard after many complaints.
Lastly, the feeder is made of long-lasting polycarbonate plastic and has parts that can be easily taken off for cleaning, which help establish it as our overall favorite option.
2. Best for Fruit - Kettle Moraine Recycled Oriole Fruit Feeder
The orange color of this durable feeder attracts the Orioles and many other birds to get a taste of the orange halves.
The long aluminum perch area makes it easy for your Baltimore Orioles to balance and settle for a feast of fruits.
It gets better:
This product is made from recycled materials and is very durable even in the face of strong winds. Its large open-ended hook makes installation or hanging a breeze.
But, with only two fruit skewers, it doesn’t offer much for a crowd.
Nonetheless, it gets the job done.
3. Best Value & Best For Nectar - First Nature 3088 Oriole Feeder
This durable plastic feeder is built for easy cleaning and refill. I can easily fill it with nectar through the wide-mouthed reservoir without making any spills.
For thorough cleaning, the two-part base can be apart to give you a chance to wash every part.
This is a great feature considering the fact that you have to clean nectar feeders more often than others.
Even better for birders with a larger amount of birds to feed is its 32 oz capacity. This saves you the stress of refilling more often. Though, with 10 ports, it might be emptied pretty quickly.
The main attraction for the Orioles is its orange color, and of course, nectar. More importantly, it doesn’t leak nectar which attracts bees and ants that can deter the Orioles and other birds that sip nectar.
Neither does it allow the insects to get into the sugar-water and drown, except when it’s at a low level.
At its price, you can buy a couple to attract more birds or satisfy them if you already have a large following.
4. Best for Jelly & Fruit - Birds Choice SNOF Oriole Feeder
The Birds Choice SNOF is right up there if you are looking for best Oriole feeder for jelly and fruit.
The fact that it is painted orange alone makes it a great choice for Orioles.
The whole feeder is made of recycled plastic and is also durable. But, the transparent acrylic roof design gives your birds a view of the feeder before sweeping in.
Plus, it protects their feed from the elements, especially the jelly.
It comes with two plastic cups to put in jelly or mealworms. I personally like this because I can fill each one with jelly, and the other with mealworms. Plus, it is easy to fill and clean. Also, it fits 2 orange halves or fruits on its skewers.
The parts are made from recycled materials which makes it sturdy and easy to clean. But, the fruit skewer is made of metal which makes it even better. The metal material makes cleaning easy and unlike wood, prevents bacteria growth.
Although, not an issue, the birds may get confused as to where to perch on the feeder at first.
But trust me, these hungry creatures will figure it out fast.
5. Best Jelly Dispenser - Perky-Pet 253 Oriole Jelly Feeder
Like all other products on this review, it attracts Orioles with its orange tray. In addition to this, it entices them with the sight of a transparent jar full of jelly.
Many at times, the birds will hang on the chains to look at its content before landing on the tray.
It has a sturdy build with three chains supporting the polycarbonate tray and jelly jar.
Also, it has a unique design that helps serve up jelly from the jar into the tray using a knob to stir and control the amount.
What I don’t like about this design is that it isn’t automatic. You have to stir/turn the knob each time the jelly is finished in the tray.
This makes its 32 oz jelly capacity not so appealing any more if you have many birds using your feeder.
Regardless, this product is easy to clean and fulfills its purpose - attracts Orioles and other jelly-loving birds.
But, you have to shade it from the sun to keep the jelly extra fresh.
How To Attract Orioles To Your Backyard
Orioles are seasonal birds and if you want to have them during their season, you need to act FAST. This doesn’t mean that attracting them will be rocket science.
Try following these tips to attract Orioles to your feeders.
#1 Start Early
As said earlier, you need to start as soon as it’s their season. Orioles first arrive in early spring which is usually around April.
#2 Prep Your Bird Bath
Like with most birds, you should provide a water source where the Orioles can bathe and drink.
Clean it regularly.
And, if you have a bubbler it gets even more possible. Orioles are attracted to the sound and sight or moving water.
#3 Get The Right Oriole Feeder
I’m guessing you know already that Orioles are attracted to the color orange.
So, make sure your feeder or at least one is orange and serves their treats – nectar (sugar-water), grape jelly, and oranges.
That said, the right oriole feeder should include:
- Enough room for the birds to perch
- Enough feeding ports
- Sizable nectar feeding ports for their beaks
- Portions for jelly servings or served in a cup
- Skewers for orange halves or nailed to tree branches
#4 Place It Correctly
It won’t be surprising if you get the right feeder and Orioles don’t come to your yard because just they can’t find it!
To attract them to the feeders, you need to place it in the open where they can find it while flying overhead.
- Place the feeder away from areas with human or pet activities in your yard.
- Place near shrubs or trees, especially if it’s indigenous to your area, but do not hide the feeder in the trees. They are more attracted if your shrubs or trees are dominated by one species (thicket-like).
- Try placing the feeder near a birdbath.
#5 Provide Nesting Materials
Orioles are famed nest builders and you can encourage them to build a few of their nests in your own yard if you have oak, elm or similar trees. Plus, you can provide pet fur, yarn or hair.
#6 Stay Patient
If you don’t attract Orioles to your yard in the first year, keep trying. Once they come, they often remember their food source and would return every season.
Of course, you should only try if you have Orioles in your region, else it will all be fruitless.
Importance of Cleaning Oriole Feeders
Regardless of how they eat in the wild, dirty feeders pose a lot of harm to the birds and need to be cleaned regularly. This is why you also need to get bird feeders that are easy to clean.
Unlike other squirrel proof bird feeders, Oriole feeders need to be cleaned more often due to the nature of their feed content. For instance, sugar-water can attract a lot of bees and ants if not cleaned regularly.
That said, nectar feeders should be cleaned after each refill. And the same applies to jelly feeders or cups.
After soaking and washing your Oriole feeder, make sure it is completely dry before using it again. Also, drying in the sun helps to tranquilize soap or chemicals used during washing.
How to Clean Them
There are several solutions that should be used to disinfect your feeders to kill bacteria growth.
First, you can use a bleach solution, but with one part bleach and nine parts water. A milder option is a solution of one part vinegar and two parts water.
Also, you can use a mild solution of dish soap to wash your Oriole feeders regularly. If your dish soap is scented, get an unscented bottle. Better still, buy a bird feeder cleaning solution at a hardware or nature store.
Conclusion
Now, you have all the information you need to attract Orioles to your backyard and getting the right feeder is one.
As I said earlier, the best all-around Oriole feeder I’d recommend is the Birds Choice Oriole-Fest Feeder.
It is suitable for nectar, jelly, mealworm and fruit servings and is easy to clean. Not to mention it gives you a clear view of the Orioles while feeding or brawling for a jelly.