The ability to attract wading birds to a specific location is an important tool for wading bird research. We examined the effectiveness of three commercially available decoy types in attracting free-ranging wading birds to a precise location. There was a statistically significant effect of decoy type on the abundance of wading birds. Wading birds were more attracted to sites with plastic flamingo and Tyvek® bag decoys than with Texas rag decoys or no decoys (control sites). The flamingo and Tyvek® bag decoys have a rigid three-dimensional shape, which may be a more important characteristic than the detailed features of a decoy in attracting wading birds. White wading birds showed a significant effect of decoy type on abundance, whereas birds with dark plumage did not.