Droll Yankees Hummingbird, Outdoor Feeder with Hanger and Ant G, 7.125" Dia, Beige

I have owned many different nectar feeders, but this is the best overall! Easy to clean, fill, and does not leak. From watching I only see one complaint from the Ruby Throat Hummingbirds. The perches should be tilted upward more. They land on them to rest but have to get off the perch and hover while drinking because they cannot reach the nectar port while on the perch. New design and let me know!

We have struggled with a lot of feeder damage due to raccoons (and the occasional bear!). These feeders don't have the little yellow flowers that the raccoons loved to pry off and the hanging hooks are fairly sturdy. Nothing will withstand a determined bear (other than getting the feeders inside at twilight - and hoping the bear doesn't come back in the daytime when it has figured out what you're doing to thwart it). We will have to hot wire some of the wooden railing to keep the (also very destructive and determined) raccoons from savaging the feeders. They come day or night if they are hungry.

It worked very well when I bought it in 2019 but now, in 2021, the birds don't choose it often. When I give them the choice, they consistently use the bottle type feeders. Maybe with age, the plastic has started to leach into the feed, or maybe they prefer the ease of drinking with the assistance from gravity that the bottle type provides. This tray-type feeder is easier than most types to clean, but to clean the built-in ant moat in the center, I have to use a small brush. The moat is a great feature, though it would be better if it were a bit larger. The ports are great because they’re molded into the top, rather than the irritating intricate parts that are hard to clean and can come off. I wish the manufacturer offered a version without the option to mount it on a pole, because that part protrudes at the bottom and keeps it from sitting evenly on the counter when I'm trying to fill it. I also wish the metal rod part was shorter, so I could fit it into shorter spaces. The photos are from the first year we had it. The visiting snake could have climbed onto many feeder types, but I threw that image in for kicks.Overall, it is fine, but I sure wish some manufacturers would offer ones that are ideal for the birds and are also pretty. The ones with swirled multi-color blown glass reservoirs are gorgeous, but their bases wear out as the plastic becomes porous and the metal rusts.Droll Yankees, or any manufacturer, if you're reading, PLEASE make one like this:Give it a pretty, multi-colored glass reservoir that's not color-coated, and not too dark to see through or to stay cool. Just a little bright red is plenty to attract birds. It should not be multi-faceted, but smooth enough to easily clean. (The ones with a deeply convex bottom provide a convenient built-in ant moat.) It should have a base that is stainless steel on the outside with a medical grade silicone liner, so the feed doesn't touch any other substance. (Don't use anything that rusts or corrodes, especially not copper, which is toxic to the birds. Don't use plastic, because our squirrels learned to chew through that.) The ports can be slightly raised, but don’t really need to be. They should be a seamless part of the same stainless top, so that they're smooth for easy cleaning. The glass reservoir should have a wide mouth that is threaded in the exact same way as a standard mason jar, so that if it cracks, we can replace it with a regular mason jar from the grocery or thrift store, rather than having to buy specialized parts or a whole new feeder. Ideally, it should fit more than one size of Mason jar with the regular sized mouth. (They come in half pint, pint, and quart. This would make the same feeder good for when there are few birds and when there are more.) The hanging mechanism should be detachable and extend from the port area, making it independent of the jar. The ports don't have to be painted. Bright yellow just attracts more insects. I'd gladly pay more to stop having to throw out feeders every few years! I can tell from online forums and reviews that I’m not alone.

These are great feeders and we have purchased many additional ones over 15 + years. Our first feeder that we bought from another company crumbled apart after the first season from being in the sun. Have only had one problem with our Little Flyers over 15 years of using them. One cracked at the base where the hanging hook screws into the feeder and Droll Yankee took care of it under warranty. We are so pleased that they stand behind there products. The only complaint we have is our last one's purchased came in a mailer bag instead. They used to always come in a box, which was easier to store, stack on a shelf and allowed us to store extra cleaner brushes in them, as well as being easier to pack when moving.

I have four Droll Yankees "Little Flyer" feeders purchased years ago that have the rubber flowers on the feeding ports. I found those to be the best feeders available. Quite sturdy, no leaks, no ants, no bees, rain doesn't get in and easy to clean. The hummingbirds absolutely love them. This year I decided to add another feeder so naturally I chose this one based on past experience. It was a big disappointment. The "Little Flyer" has been re-designed, obviously to reduce the cost of manufacturing. The hook is definitely thinner and flimsier than the old ones. That's one thing, but the deal breaker is the feeding ports no longer have the rubber flowers. Instead the flowers are molded into the top with "protrusions" on the inside that appear to be for holding small rubber bee guards that did not come with the feeder. My hummingbirds simply don't feed from this one. They seem to try but can't or won't. My suspicion is that the redesigned feeding ports are too restrictive and the hummers have to insert their beaks at a very precise angle to access the nectar. They don't like it and quickly move to the old style feeders. Since the old style "Little Flyers" are no longer available, I would now recommend the Aspects mini "Hummzinger" as the best available. It has molded flowers for the feeding ports but no restrictive protrusions on the inside. The hummers can feed from the perch or hovering, whatever they want. I have also had one mini Hummzinger for years. A very good feeder without any problems what so ever. Sorry Droll Yankees but you messed up a good thing to cut costs. You sell a very expensive hummingbird feeder that doesn't work. I will never get another "Little Flyer" :(

Droll Yankee make the best feeders that I have ever purchased.

My one quarrel with the feeder is that it is not that easy to undo the lid. One has to be careful not to yank on the handles -- really perches for the birds.Added in February 2021: had several birds trying to drink from the bottom! They then fly away. Also it needs four legs to balance the feeder when adding or removing nectar. 2 out of 5.

The feeder has an ant moat intended to be filled with water in order to drown the ants before they reach the nectar. This feeder arrived with a neatly drilled hole in the ant moat. It drains in about 5 sec. after filling. Completely useless. Very disappointing for a costly Droll Yankee product.