Why put a potato in the bird feeder?

Putting a potato in a bird feeder is not a standard or recommended practice for feeding birds and is generally not advised, but some people do it for specific, often misguided reasons. One reason some people put raw potato pieces in feeders is as a cheap filler to attract certain birds or squirrels, though raw potatoes contain solanine and starch that are not nutritious and can be hard for birds to digest. Sometimes people put a potato on a feeder spike to hold other foods like fruit pieces, suet, or corn, using the potato as a base or holder rather than as food itself. In some old folk advice, potatoes were suggested as a way to keep squirrels away because squirrels might dislike raw potato, but this is ineffective. Cooked plain potatoes without salt, butter, or seasoning can be eaten by some birds like jays and crows in small amounts, but they offer little nutritional value compared to seeds and suet. Potatoes can also mold quickly in a feeder, especially in warm weather, leading to bacterial growth and disease that can harm birds. If you run out of bird food, better emergency foods include unsalted peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds, plain suet, chopped unsalted nuts, and certain fruits like apple slices, while avoiding bread, salty foods, and raw potatoes. So there is no good reason to put a potato in a bird feeder.