DIY: Homemade Oriole Feeder How To Instructions

Orioles are undeniably one of the most popular birds that visit our backyard. They are known for their bright orange and black plumage that color the backyard during the summer and winter seasons. At the same time, they are known for the beautiful and happy tunes they sing. 

For this very season, more and more people want to attract orioles to their yard. And since they have a special kind of diet, they also require a special type of feeder or feeders:

• Orange Feeders
• Jelly Feeders
• Nectar Feeders for Orioles

While you can buy these feeders in the market, you can also get creative and make your own. And this is exactly what this article is all about. 

We’ll talk about the oriole birds’ diet, and we’ll show you some excellent homemade oriole feeder ideas you can do on your own. So, if you’re interested in doing a DIY bird feeder, make sure that you read on… 

Oriole Birds Diet

Let’s start this article by explaining the diet of orioles.

So, unlike other birds, orioles don’t eat seeds. Their diet is mainly composed of fruits and nectar. These birds love sugar, especially before winter as they need to get as many fat reserves as needed to survive extreme climates.

Orioles also eat insects but only when they need them, such as during the breeding season to produce eggs. Young orioles are also on an exclusive insect diet to aid their growth, but they slowly switch to eating more fruits as they mature. 

In the backyard, orioles can feed on any fruit. 

You can feed them your overripe fruits from the kitchen and plant some berry shrubs, as well. But their favorite fruit is oranges. Just slice an orange in half, serve it, and the orioles will already be happy to feast. 

On top of oranges, orioles also love feasting on grape-flavored jelly. And so far, it’s the only flavor of jelly they love. 

Orioles also love nectar, which means having nectar-producing flowers all around you would help attract them. You can also make homemade nectar by mixing sugar with water and placing that in the oriole bird feeder. 

Because of this bird’s special diet, you can’t buy the same bird feeders as you would for other birds. There are specific feeders made for them, but if you want to get a bit more creative, here are some excellent oriole feeder ideas you can make on your own. 

Homemade Oriole Feeder Ideas

Cheap Orange and Jelly Feeder

The first feeder we’ll make won’t cost you more than $5. You’ll easily find the materials at your nearest dollar store and even at home. 

Let’s start with the jelly feeder.

To do this, you’ll only need two materials: 

• 5-6 feet crafting wire
• Small terra cotta saucer (for the jelly)

Here’s the step-by-step on how to do it: 

1. Unwrap the wire into a straight line. Note: The wire doesn’t have to be perfectly straight. 
2. Grab the end of the wire and form a loop that is smaller than the size of your saucer. Create around 2-3 loops on top of each other, and this will serve as your saucer’s support. 
3. Place the saucer in the loop and ensure that the base securely fits. 
4. Once you’re sure that the saucer is secured, you can cut the wire. Then, grab the cut wire piece and loop each end of the wire on both sides of the saucer, forming a little basket for the jelly. 
5. Place the grape jelly on the saucer, hang it on a feeding pole, and you’re done!

As for the orange feeder, all you’ll need is a 5-6 feet crafting wire. 

This one is easier to make: 

1. Unwrap the wire into a straight line. Just like what you did above, it doesn’t have to be straight. 
2. Curve the bottom of the wire into a loop, small enough for an orange to fit. Then, create another smaller circle just further away from your orange support to serve as the birds’ perching area. 
3. Then, straighten the remaining wire and curve it in any way you want to create a design. 
4. Grab an orange, slive it in half, and slide the center of the orange into the wire. The curves you created will serve as a separator of your first orange from the other half. 
5. Twist the end part of the wire to create a hook to hang the orange feeder. 
6. Lastly, place the other slice of orange on the bottom loop you created and hang the feeder on the feeder pole. 

And you’re done!

Super easy and cheap, right? It’s the best idea if you’re tight on a budget but still wish to serve the oriole birds the best food. 

House Style DIY Oriole Feeder

Now, if you have more time to spend and you’re feeling more creative, here’s a nice-looking oriole feeder you can make. 

All you’ll need are: 

• At least 13 inches long 2’’ x 4” board
• At least 12 inches long 1” x 8” board
• At least 18 inches long ¼ inch dowel
• Four 2 ½ inches galvanized finishing nails
• Four common nails
• Waterproof carpenter’s glue
• One screw eye
• Table saw
• Power drill
• Combination square

You don’t have to buy new materials for this. If you have some lumber laying around that you can use, grab it.  

Here’s how you can make it: 

1. Grab your 13 inches long 2 x 4 board, and cut two 45 degree angles on one end of the board, forming a small arrow head. This will serve as the top part of the board and will be the base for the roof of this bird feeder. 

We also recommend cutting the corners of the bottom part of the board at 45 degree angles. 

2. Once you’ve finished the base, grab your power drill and start drilling two ¼ inch holes at the center of the board, one at the bottom part and another at the center of the board. These holes are where you’ll create a perch for the birds, so make sure you drill the hole straight. 

3. Grab your 1 x 8 board and cut it into two pieces. One should be longer than the other, overlap them, and then nail the pieces together to form a roof. This will serve as the roof you’ll attach to the top part of your board. 

4. Next, grab two finishing nails and nail them on the board, just right on top of the perching area. As this is where you’ll place the orange slices, you need to drive the nails in a downward direction so that they don’t fall off. 

5. Now, you’re almost done. Next, grab your 18-inch dowel and cut it in half for the perches. Insert them in the holes you drilled and then use a waterproof carpenter’s glue to hold the perches in place. 

6. Finally, cut a flat spot in the center of the roof peak and place the screw eye. This way, you can hang the bird feeder on a feeder pole. 

And you’re all set!

Get an orange, cut it in half, place it on the nail in a right side up direction, hang the bird feeder, and enjoy watching the orioles feast on the oranges. 

Orange Wreath Homemade Oriole Feeder

Now, if you don’t have to do all these things but still want to get creative, you can create an orange wreath. The best part about this is that it easily attracts orioles. 

All you need for this feeder are: 

• Coat hanger
• Needle-nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Cutting board
• Ribbons for decorations

Here’s how to make this: 

1. Get your coat hanger and bend the two sides of the hanger toward each other until they are about 1-inch apart. Then, curve the hanger to form a crescent using the nose pliers (or your hands). After that, grab your pliers to cut the ends of the wire. 

2. Grab your orange and slice it in ¼ inch slices. You can then cut some little pieces of triangles from the rind of the orange. 

3. Now, it’s time to create your wreath. Insert one orange slice through the wire, add a triangle piece as a space, add another orange slice, and do this repeatedly until you fill up the hanger. 

4. And if you want to make this feeder more decorative, you can tie an orange feeder on top and place some berries on the end. 

And you’re done! 

It’s quick, easy, and doesn’t cost much. 

Antique Cup Oriole Feeder

If you want something more sophisticated and classy, you can also make an antique cup oriole feeder. 

All you need is a wire and an old cup you can find in your home. 

This is almost the same as the cheap jelly feeder tutorial above, but instead of using a saucer, you use a cup. This makes it easier to hold grape jelly or oranges for the orioles. You can then add some decorations in the wire to make it more attractive for the birds. 

You can check out the whole tutorial below: 

Final Thoughts On Making A Homemade Oriole Feeder

That’s everything you need to know in making the best Oriole feeder. Of course, you can be as creative as you can, and as long as you can put orange or jelly on the feeder, orioles would still be happy. 

Orioles do have a special diet, but that doesn’t mean they’re hard to feed. As long as you have the right feeder that can hold oranges and jelly, you’ll surely attract them. 

If you can’t make your own, you can get a platform feeder and it will work just fine. You can also just grab any wood you’ll find, drive in two nails, and place an orange slice, and orioles will still come. 

As for the nectar feeders, you can’t use the same feeders that you provide for hummingbirds. Orioles need bigger feeding ports and perches as they can’t hover like hummingbirds. It’s a good thing though that there are nectar oriole feeders available in the market today.