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bird feeder

bird feeder

8 1.4
A container hung outside that holds food for wild birds
  • noun
  • /bɜrd ˈfiːdər/
translation icon : comedero para aves
  • I put bird seed in the bird feeder so the backyard birds can eat.
  • fill the bird feeder
  • backyard bird feeder
  • hang a bird feeder

I, I, my squirrels wouldn't infest and take the nuts and seeds from my poor mother's bird feeder.

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Examples

  • Mom suggested I make a bird feeder out of a milk carton.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "The crows are too big for the bird feeder," she says.

  • Oh, and we did have a big black bear at our bird feeder last year.

    Blog text (34)
  • We got all of our bird feeders filled up this week.

    Blog text (12)
  • I'm actually in the market for bird feeders and food.

  • Jeremy was very interested, though, in the bird feeders he had recently installed.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The squirrels sit in the bird feeder and eat and eat and eat.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Watching the cute little birds nibbling seed from the bird feeder in the kitchen window.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The breakfast area faced a large picture window overlooking the wooded backyard and the bird feeder.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Outside the window, small birds swooped to alight on the bird feeder.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

feeder
vsbird feeder
16 2.5

A container placed outdoors that holds food for wild birds

is limited to feeding wild birds rather than other animals
birdfeeder
vsbird feeder
1 2.0

A container put outside to hold food for wild birds

is the same meaning but written as two words rather than one

How Big

bird feeder
8 1.4
seed tray
2.8

Surface Forms

bird feeder singular
bird feeders plural

Morphology

bird + feeder

The meaning 'a container or structure placed outdoors to provide food for wild birds' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bird' and 'feeder' — literally a feeder for birds. This simple noun–noun compound follows a regular compositional pattern common across languages and would be readily understood by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Bird feeder comes from the clear picture of a small box or tray hung outside to 'feed' birds—bird + feeder. People put seed in it and birds come to eat, so it means 'a container placed outdoors to provide food for wild birds'.