Do bird feeders attract mountain lions?

The short answer

• Indirectly, through deer. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says feeders "also attract deer, and in turn can bring their primary predator, mountain lions, into our neighborhoods." California, Oregon and Florida give the same warning about feeding deer.
• Near houses the menu widens. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, small animals such as raccoons and house cats were 37 percent of puma kills in suburban areas and 6 percent where there were no houses nearby.
• Keep deer off the feeder: ports 7.5 to 8 ft above the highest ground within 5 ft, no corn, no spill left overnight. Then light the walkways and clear the dense cover a lion would use to get close.
• Pets are the exposure, not people. Of 1,625 Colorado cougar kill sites checked, 68 held domestic animals, 43 of them cats. Feed pets indoors and keep them in from dusk to dawn.
• Colorado bans feeding deer and lions alike, California bans feeding deer, and Washington makes negligently attracting a large carnivore an infraction. The first two are written around feeding "intentionally" and "knowingly", so a feeder deer keep using is a risk once you know they do.

Only through what the feeder feeds. A mountain lion does not eat seed and has little use for small birds. It eats deer, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife puts the chain plainly: feeders "also attract deer, and in turn can bring their primary predator, mountain lions, into our neighborhoods." Keep deer off the feeder and off the spill, and the lion has no reason to work your yard.

Two answers circulate. One says lions come for the birds and squirrels at the feeder. The other says a lion cannot care about a bird feeder at all. Both miss the deer. A lion will not stalk a chickadee, but a feeder hung low, or a lawn under it covered in corn and sunflower, is a deer feeding station, and that is what four state agencies warn about.

What the collar studies found#

No study has watched bird feeders for lions. What exists is GPS collar work on pumas living beside houses, and it shows the prey near homes is not the same as the prey in the hills.

Read together: lions living at the edge of town keep hunting deer, and more of them. Where houses are dense they add the animals that thrive around people. Those are the same animals a messy feeding station feeds: raccoons, opossums and the deer. University of Arizona Extension, adapting Arizona Game and Fish material, says lions "may be indirectly attracted by the increased number of small prey animals (e.g. birds, squirrels, and rodents) that eat the seed." That means the rats and mice on the spill as much as the birds. The same bulletin warns that prey such as rabbits and javelina "can attract predators like mountain lions."

The deer link, step by step#

1. Seed draws deer. A hopper with ports below about 7 ft, or a mat of spill on the ground, feeds deer. Corn is the strongest draw, as deer at feeders sets out.
2. Deer settle into a routine. CPW says "do not attract deer to your yard, even in urban areas, as this is the mountain lions' main food source." Oregon asks people not to feed deer because "by attracting wildlife, you may attract a cougar."
3. The lion follows the deer. CDFW: "Feeding other wildlife, such as deer, may attract mountain lions." Florida says the same of panthers and the prey they hunt.
4. Near houses it eats faster and kills more. In Santa Cruz, lions near homes left kills early and made more of them, so a yard on the deer route sees more lion traffic.

The weak point in that chain is step 1, and it is the one you control.

Is it a mountain lion?#

Most "lion" sightings at dusk are something smaller. These marks separate them.

If you find a covered deer, leave. CPW says it "might be a mountain lion kill, so avoid the area," and the lion may come back to it. Something eating the seed itself at night is not a lion: start with what is emptying my feeder at night.

The changes that matter#

1. Lift the feeder out of deer reach. Put the ports at 7.5 to 8 ft above the highest ground within 5 ft of the pole, and keep 5 ft clear around it, on a pole rather than a low branch. That is our deer standard; no agency gives a lion figure, because the lion never touches the feeder.
2. Stop the spill. Use hulled seed or a catcher tray, rake in the late afternoon, and drop cracked corn and ground scatter entirely. Arizona suggests a platform under the feeder and only as much seed as birds clear in a short time. The methods are in seed waste and mess.
3. Open the approach. CDFW, CPW and Florida all say remove dense vegetation near the house. Washington adds pruning shrubs by children's play areas up several feet. Our placement guide keeps feeders 10 to 12 ft from shrubs for house cats; that gap helps here too.
4. Light the walkways. CDFW says outdoor lighting makes it hard for a lion to approach unseen. Washington says light all walkways after dark; Florida uses motion-activated lights.
5. Plant against deer. Washington says avoid landscaping with plants deer prefer to eat. If you are planting cover for birds, native plants and cover helps you choose.

Pet food, garbage and fallen fruit feed the raccoons and opossums that Santa Cruz lions turned to. Washington says garbage attracts small mammals that in turn attract cougars.

Cats, dogs and backyard animals#

This is where lions near houses do harm. In the Colorado study, the 68 kill sites with domestic prey held 43 cats, 17 dogs, 2 alpacas, 2 goats, 1 sheep, 1 llama and 1 fowl. Domestic species were 3.87 percent of what the collared cougars took in a year, but that average hides a spread: individual cougars ranged from none to 0.75 of their prey.

• Feed dogs and cats indoors (Washington), and keep them in from dusk to dawn.
• Walk dogs on a leash and be "extra vigilant during mornings and evenings" (CPW).
• Shut livestock and large pets in "sturdy, covered shelters at night" (CDFW).
• In Florida, an electric fence about 2 ft high around animal pens (FWC).

An outdoor cat at the feeder is a problem for birds first, as cats and feeders explains. A lion is one more reason to keep it in.

How much risk to people#

Small. CPW says there have been fewer than a dozen deaths in North America in more than 100 years. CDFW counts six known fatal attacks in California since 1890, and Washington two fatal attacks and about 20 injuries in the last 100 years. If you meet one, CDFW says do not run, do not crouch, face the animal, make noise, look bigger, and pick up small children.

When to take the feeder down#

Not because a lion was seen in the area. Take the feeders down, for two to three weeks as our working figure, if:

• deer are feeding at the feeder or under it and you cannot lift it or stop the spill;
• you find a covered deer carcass on or near your property;
• your state agency or city tells you to.

Birds lose little in a break, as do birds depend on feeders covers. In bear country the same feeder may need to come down for a bigger reason: see our bear feeding laws by state.

What the law says#

In Arizona's three largest counties, A.R.S. 13-2927 bans feeding wildlife but exempts birds; the deer and javelina that eat the spill are not exempt.

Where this page stops#

• No feeder study exists. The collar studies measured lions near houses, not at feeders. The feeder link comes from agency guidance.
• Two regions measured. Santa Cruz and the Colorado Front Range only; prey near houses may differ elsewhere.
• Four states' rules checked, plus Arizona's feeding law. We did not check Canada or Florida's rules on panthers.

Every other animal and symptom is matched to its cause on the problems hub.

Frequently asked questions#

Do mountain lions eat birds at bird feeders?

Not in any number that has been measured. CDFW says mountain lion diet mostly consists of large animals such as deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep. University of Arizona Extension says lions may be drawn indirectly by the small prey that eat the seed, and the Santa Cruz work found raccoons, house cats and opossums replacing some deer near houses. The deer that a low or messy feeder draws are the real link.

Will a mountain lion attack my cat or dog?

It can. In a Colorado Front Range study, 68 of 1,625 cougar kill sites held domestic animals: 43 cats, 17 dogs and 2 alpacas, 2 goats, a sheep, a llama and one fowl. In the most developed parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains, house cats were 20 percent of puma meals. Feed pets indoors, keep them in from dusk to dawn, and walk dogs on a leash.

Should I take down my bird feeder if a mountain lion was seen nearby?

Take it down if deer are feeding at it or under it and you cannot stop them, because the deer are what bring the lion. A feeder deer cannot reach, with no spill on the ground, is not on any agency's list of lion attractants. Oregon's advice for cougar areas is to keep areas around bird feeders clean. If your city or state agency asks you to take feeders down after a sighting, do it.

Is it illegal to feed deer where mountain lions live?

In Colorado, yes: feeding big game is illegal and the list includes both deer and mountain lions, with a $100 fine. In California, 14 CCR 251.3 says no person shall knowingly feed big game mammals, and deer are big game. Washington's RCW 77.15.790 makes it an infraction to negligently attract a large wild carnivore to land or a building. Elsewhere, ask your state wildlife agency.

How do I know if a mountain lion has been in my yard?

The common sign is a deer carcass covered with leaves, dirt or debris. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says a dead deer covered or hidden may be a lion kill and to avoid the area, because the lion may return to it. A lion is much larger than a bobcat and has a long tail, about one third of its total length. A bobcat's tail is a stub.

Sources and further reading

1. Bird feeders attract birds plus predators and disease; please use with caution (9 Jun 2025) Tyson Floersheim, District Wildlife Manager, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in the Pikes Peak Courier Feeders also attract deer, and in turn can bring their primary predator, mountain lions, into neighborhoods
2. Living with Mountain Lions Colorado Parks and Wildlife Do not attract deer, even in urban areas; leash pets; vigilant mornings and evenings; remove hiding places; covered deer carcass may be a lion kill; tail one third of length; fewer than a dozen deaths in North America in over 100 years
3. Be a good neighbor to Colorado's wildlife; don't feed them (18 Apr 2024) Bridget O'Rourke, Colorado Outdoors (CPW) Feeding big game illegal; list includes deer, elk and mountain lions; $100 fine
4. Mountain Lions in California; Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Mountain Lions California Department of Fish and Wildlife Sizes; diet mostly large animals; six known fatal attacks since 1890; specially protected under Prop 117 (1990); deer-proof the property; outdoor lighting; covered shelters at night; feeding deer may attract lions; stepwise depredation permits under FGC 4801.5 and 4802
5. Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, sections 251.3 and 350 Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School No person shall knowingly feed big game mammals; big game includes deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear and Nelson bighorn sheep, not mountain lion
6. Prey switching and consumption time in pumas along a housing gradient, Journal of Wildlife Management (2016), as reported by The Wildlife Society Justine A. Smith et al.; The Wildlife Society 32 collared pumas, 439 kill sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains; small prey 37 percent of kills in suburban areas vs 6 percent with no houses; house cats 20 percent of meals in the most developed areas
7. Pumas in populated areas kill more deer (13 Feb 2015) University of California, Santa Cruz, on Smith, Wang and Wilmers, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Females killed 36 percent more deer per year in developed habitat; greatest impact within 150 m of development
8. Human-Cougar interactions in the wildland-urban interface of Colorado's front range, Ecology and Evolution (2019) Mathew W. Alldredge, Frances E. Buderman and Kevin A. Blecha 2007 to 2015; 83 percent of use above 10 houses per ha between 22:00 and 05:00; 68 of 1,625 kill sites with domestic prey (43 cats, 17 dogs); domestic species 3.87 percent of prey
9. Cougar (Puma concolor) Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Do not feed deer, raccoons or feral cats; feed pets indoors; light walkways; avoid deer-preferred plants; prune shrubs by play areas; two fatal attacks in 100 years
10. RCW 77.15.790, Attracting large wild carnivores Washington State Legislature Negligently feeding or attracting large wild carnivores is an infraction; written warning to remove attractants within two days
11. Cougar safety news releases (20 Apr 2009; 20 May 2024) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Keep areas around bird feeders clean (2009); do not feed any wildlife, including deer, cougar's main prey along with elk (2024)
12. Potential Wildlife Conflicts (Backyards and Beyond, Fall 2008) University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, adapted from Arizona Game and Fish Lions may be attracted indirectly by small prey that eat seed; prey such as rabbits and javelina attract lions; catch spill with a platform
13. Living with Panthers Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Avoid feeding wildlife, which attracts prey panthers hunt; electric fence about 2 ft high around enclosures; motion lights; remove dense vegetation
14. Commission Agenda Item 2: Mountain Lion Rules (23 May 2024) Texas Parks and Wildlife Department New 31 TAC 65.950; mountain lions are nongame wildlife; no live lion in a trap or snare more than 36 hours; canned hunts banned