Northern Cardinal Takes Over Bird Feeder and Refuses To Let Anyone Else Land

Anyone who has a bird feeder -- especially a bird feeder with a camera -- knows these gadgets can be a stage with a mini soap opera performed daily right in your own backyard.

There's your day players: the Cardinals, Doves, Blue Jays, Red-Winged Blackbirds and such. And then there's the super villains: the Grackles, House Sparrows, Crows and the biggest one of all -- the Squirrel. These bad apples chase others away, throw seed everywhere, and act like typical bullies.

Well, in this TikTok video, you'll see what happens when a day player decides to step into a more challenging role. Derrick, a Northern Cardinal, is like one of those cartoon villains you see and is doing the bird equivalent of tying people to the train tracks and twirling his mustache. Take a look.

@lealemonade720

Derrick is a (obscenity).#northerncardinal#redcardinal#cardinal#birdbuddy#angrybirds

Metal Attack - Toxic Holocaust

I like how, in the middle of the video, he's desperately seeking literally anyone to beat up. Derrick needs an avian anger management class.

TikTok Commenters Share Their Stories

Feeders such as Bird Buddy have become hugely popular in recent years, with the former reporting 350,000 feeders sold between 2022-2025. The coronavirus pandemic spurred the need for many people to look for more outdoor hobbies, and bird watching benefited from this need.

Viewers of the TikTok video shared their own thoughts and summarized the drama occurring in their backyard. "We had a bully hummingbird on our feeder, we nicknamed him TL for Thug Life!!" said one. Another shared a picture of a squirrel they named Randell: "Randell steals the Blue Jay's peanuts before they can get any."

Related: Want Cardinals in Your Yard? Try This One Simple Trick

Another viewer summed up their daily drama: "I have a Derek, except his name is Fred. He's a Hummingbird…well, actually, he's a heat-seeking missile with only one goal in life and that's to run off any other living being that comes near the hanging jar of tasty nectar I put out for them. I guess I just put it out for him now because he will dive bomb any other Hummingbird that comes near. His name is Fred, but he's actually a girl, which is kind of funny, but either way, Fred's a d--k!"

How to Discourage Problematic Birds at Your Feeder

If you have birds bringing drama every day that you'd rather avoid, there are some cool tips and tricks that can encourage these trouble-makers to move on to another area to feed.

1. Be careful about the seed you're offering. The National Wildlife Federation shares this tip: "Generally, bully birds do not like safflower or nyjer (thistle) seeds. By offering just those seeds-and not wild birdseed mixes-only finches, chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, and grosbeaks will come to the feeders to dine."
2. The bully birds will sometimes hang around to eat seed that has fallen below the feeder. Place a garbage can under the feeder to catch those errant seeds, and those bullies might move along, as they won't go in the garbage can to retrieve them.
3. Only offer seeds in the morning and the late afternoon when the smaller birds are more active.
4. Strategically place shiny items around your feeder as the bigger, bully birds are sometimes deterred by seeing their own reflection. Small mirrors or CD's-anything that has a reflective surface.

However, a lot of people are just happy to leave things as they are. Sometimes, you get weirdly attached to your Derrick's or Fred's even with the drama they bring. Every story needs a villain, and sometimes, these birds end up being the reason you check the camera so often.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 4:21 AM.