Wild birds have different dietary requirements depending on the species. Providing food that meets their nutritional needs is important for their health and survival, especially during harsh winters when natural food sources may be scarce. When choosing bird food, there are a few key things to consider to ensure you are offering quality nutrition for your garden visitors.
What do wild birds eat?
Wild birds are omnivores and eat a variety of foods depending on the species. Common foods include:
- Seeds and grains – Attracts smaller birds like finches, tits, sparrows.
- Fruit – Enjoyed by blackbirds, thrushes, robing.
- Nuts – High in fat so good for energy, especially during winter. Popular with tits, woodpeckers, nuthatches.
- Mealworms and other insects – Important protein source for many species like robins, wrens, blackbirds.
- Suet – High fat content valued by insect-eating birds like woodpeckers, starlings, sparrows.
- Seed mixes and bird tables – Provide variety to attract several species.
- Live foods like mealworms – Particularly valued by robins and wrens.
- Fruit like apples, pears – Blackbirds, thrushes and redwings devour them.
- Berries from trees and bushes – Birds like fieldfares, waxwings, starlings enjoy them.
- Peanuts – Loved by tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, siskins.
- Fat balls – Picked at by tits, finches, sparrows, woodpeckers.
- Nut feeders – Attract birds like tits, greenfinches, chaffinches, siskins.
- Niger seed – Finches and siskins will flock to it.
As you can see, birds consume a wide variety of foods. Offering a diverse bird menu will attract more species to your garden.
Key Nutrients Birds Need
To maintain good health, wild birds need a balanced diet that provides:
- Carbohydrates – For energy from sugars and starches.
- Protein – For growth and repair of muscles, organs and feathers. Insects are a key source.
- Fats – Concentrated energy source to survive cold weather.
- Vitamins and minerals – For proper body functioning and metabolic processes.
- Water – To prevent dehydration.
When feeding birds, it’s important to offer foods that will provide a good mix of these nutrients. Seeds and nuts supply carbohydrates and fats. Mealworms and insects provide protein. Fruit gives natural vitamin sources. Fresh water is essential too.
Best Food Types for Wild Birds
Here are some of the top foods to offer wild birds in your garden:
Seed Mixes
A good quality blend of seeds will attract a variety of garden birds. Look for mixes that contain:
- Flaked maize
- Black sunflower seeds
- Nyjer seeds
- Millet
- Hemp
- Pinhead oatmeal
- Peanuts
Go for mixes with varying seed sizes to cater for different beak types. Try to avoid cheap mixes with filler grains that birds don’t like.
Suet Products
Suet is fat processed from animal meat like beef or mutton. You can buy suet balls and blocks or make homemade suet feeders by adding melted suet to pine cones, mesh onion bags or coconut shells. The high fat content provides birds with vital energy. Suet products are popular with:
- Woodpeckers
- Starlings
- Tits
- Robins
- Wrens
Hang suet feeders from trees or bird tables to make access easy for cling-feeding birds.
Mealworms
Live and dried mealworms are relished by garden birds. They offer valuable protein for growth and reproduction. Species such as robins, wrens, dunnocks and blackbirds will feast on them through winter when natural insects are scarce. You can buy live or dried mealworms to put straight into bird feeders or onto bird tables. Make sure any uneaten worms are removed within a day to prevent rotting.
Fruit
Chopped apples, pears, oranges, grapes and berries are appreciated by thrushes, blackbirds, redwings and waxwings. Skewer fruit pieces onto bird feeder spikes or scatter onto bird tables. Kitchen scraps like currants, sultanas and grated cheese also make tasty bird treats.
Peanuts
Whole or chopped peanuts are nutritious bird food. Opt for unsalted peanuts and serve in mesh feeders. Peanuts are relished by tits, house sparrows, greenfinches and siskins. Feed them sparingly as they can choke certain small birds.
Nyjer Seeds
Tiny, oil-rich nyjer seeds are a favorite of finches, siskins and redpolls. Use specialist nyjer seed feeders with small holes that let seeds out one at a time. The oil content makes these seeds high in calories to help birds survive winter.
Coconut
Desiccated coconut can be mixed with suet or added to bird cakes and fat balls. It gives a nutritional boost of oil and trace minerals. Dried coconut chunks or halves make novel bird feeders too – simply drill holes and thread with string to hang up.
Niger Seeds
Another oil-rich seed loved by finches and siskins. Red-billed quelea birds adore niger seed too. Use fine mesh tube feeders to serve them safely.
Pinhead Oatmeal
Uncooked, soaked oatmeal provides useful fibre, carbohydrates and B vitamins for wild birds. Simply scatter onto the ground or bird tables. Oats are palatable for thrushes, robings, sparrows, doves and pigeons.
Bird Cakes
Bird cake mixes let you make energy-packed homemade bird food. Combine suet, seeds, nuts, dried fruit and peanut butter then press into cake tins or yoghurt pots before chilling. Hang bird cakes from trees or bird feeder stands. Locate them close to foliage for shy birds.
Berries
Planting berry-producing bushes like hawthorn, cotoneaster and pyracantha will boost winter food sources. Birds like fieldfares, redwings, waxwings and thrushes will feast on the vitamin-rich berries. Grow holly trees for late winter berries after other food has been depleted.
Bird Feeders
Using different bird feeding stations will attract a greater range of species. Try these feeder types:
- Ground feeding trays or tables
- Tube feeders for seeds, nuts and fat balls
- Suet holders
- Fruit skewers
- Nut feeders with wire mesh
- Niger seed feeders
- Mealworm dish or tray
- Coconut shell feeders
Position feeders at different heights and keep them clean and dry. Locate them close to trees or bushes for cover.
Fresh Water
Water is essential for birds to prevent dehydration and feather damage. Provide fresh water daily in a bird bath or dish. Position it away from food to avoid contamination. Moving water is more enticing so consider a solar powered fountain.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Wild Birds
Some foods are unsuitable for wild birds and can harm more than help. Avoid these:
- Stale bread – Low nutrition and may cause deformities.
- Salty foods
- Desserts, biscuits, cakes – Low nutritional value
- Mouldy or rotten foods – Risk of disease
- Spicy or seasoned foods
- Dried rice – Can swell in the stomach
- Avocados – Toxic to birds
- Chocolate or sweets
- Cooked porridge oats – Can ferment in the throat
It’s also best not to feed meat, cat food or kitchen leftovers which can spoil quickly and spread disease.
When to Feed Wild Birds
Birds benefit from extra food all year round, but they depend on it most during autumn and winter when natural food sources are limited. Start feeding in early autumn before winter weather hits. Continue until spring when insects, seeds and fruit become abundant again. Place feeders somewhere you can see them from indoors so you can top them up during bad weather when birds need them most.
Peak activity at bird feeders is early morning and late afternoon. Schedule your own feeding routines for these times to see more feathered visitors.
Conclusion
Providing quality foods tailored to wild birds’ dietary needs is key to attracting more species to your garden. Aim for a variety of nutritious seeds, nuts, suet, fruit and insects. Avoid low-value filler foods. Use diverse feeding stations like bird tables and feeders to cater for different beaks and feeding methods. Locate them near trees or bushes for shelter and keep them clean and well-stocked. Follow these tips to create a bird-friendly backyard that will support their feeding needs all year round.