A grey bird perched on a bird feeder made from a repurposed bottle.

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeders

Make an outdoor space near you into a bustling, zero-waste bird cafe! Using a repurposed bottle and craft materials, along with your favorite bird seed, you can bring your flocks home to roost. 

This activity is pretty simple, so there are a lot of great opportunities to inspire sense-making and help students design their own bird feeders. Some possible engineering design questions could include: 

  • What kind of bottle should we use? Why? 
  • How can we help the birds get to the food in this feeder? 
  • What kind of bird seed should we use? Why? 
  • How and where should we hang our bird feeder? 

Some of the answers to those questions might change your procedure a little bit. You can also try a few different approaches and see if they attract different birds!

Supplies: 

  • Scissors* (child-safe scissors won't be strong enough to cut the bottles, so the bottle cutting should be completed by adults or with adult supervision)
  • Plastic beverage bottle (clean and dry), with a cap
  • Yarn or twine
  • Duct tape
  • A stick or dowel (this should be a couple inches wider than your bottle)
  • Birdseed
The supplies needed to create a plastic bottle bird-feeder laid out on the table (supply list below).
This is all you need to start your birdwatching journey right at home! (Credit: NOAA).

Steps: 

The bottom of the bottle, with a string through for hanging.
Step 1 (Credit: NOAA).

1. Carefully cut two holes in the bottom of your bottle. String your yarn or twine between the two holes, with plenty left over to tie a loop. This is how you will hang your bird feeder! (Safety Tip: The bottom of some plastic bottles is very thick! Cut carefully where the plastic is thinnest.)

A dowel stuck through the bottle.
Step 2 (Credit: NOAA).

 

2. Carefully cut two holes in the sides of your bottle, a couple of inches down from the cap. Stick your dowel or other stick through the holes, with a bit hanging on either side. This will be a perch for the birds visiting your feeder!

 

 

The bird feeder full of seed, with holes for feeding birds.
Step 3 (Credit: NOAA). 

3. Carefully cut two more holes in the sides of your bottle, a couple of inches above the perch. Try to keep the holes fairly small, or else your seed will spill out. Fill up your bottle at least halfway with bird seed and secure the top.

 

 

4. Turn your bottle over and hang it in your desired spot. All that's left is to wait for the birds to pop in for a snack!

 

A cardinal perched on the upcycled bird feeder.
Looks like they like it! (Credit: NOAA).
 

For citation purposes, unless otherwise noted, this article was authored by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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