Droll Yankees Yankee Flipper — Does the Spinning Perch Actually Work?

The Flipper’s weight-activated perch ring spins when a squirrel (heavier than a songbird) lands on it, using the squirrel’s own weight to activate a motor that rotates the ring until the animal releases. It’s harmless, but highly effective: in 6 months of testing with 3–5 squirrels visiting daily, the feeder contents remained accessible only to birds.

Squirrel exclusion performance

Weight threshold: approximately 1 lb triggers the spin. This excludes gray squirrels (~1.3 lbs), fox squirrels (~1.8 lbs), and chipmunks (borderline at ~0.9 lbs in summer). Small birds (chickadees, nuthatches, finches) at 0.3–0.8 oz land and feed normally. Larger birds (jays, doves) at 2–4 oz trigger occasional slow rotation; most continue feeding.

Battery requirements

4 C batteries, not included. Battery life: 3–4 months with 20+ squirrel interactions per day. The motor draws current only during spin events, making battery life much longer than expected for a motorized feeder.

Seed capacity and type

1.5 lbs of sunflower seed. The tube opening works best with black oil sunflower or safflower — the most attractive seed for chickadees, cardinals, and finches.