Infographic Transcript:
Garden Birds: What Do They Like To Eat?
Here in the UK, we’re fortunate to have a wide variety of garden birds visiting our gardens. Providing different types of bird food is a great way to attract a large number of birds to your garden, but how do you know which birds like which foods? Today we’re going to look at some of the most common garden birds to find out what they like to eat!
Goldfinches
Goldfinches are a beautiful species of bird that are easy to spot because they have striking features. Their red faces and yellow-tinted wings make them stand out amongst other birds that visit our gardens.
What do goldfinches eat?
Goldfinches are predominantly seed feeders. They have a beak that’s specially adapted to extract seeds from plants like thistles. In the spring/summer months, when goldfinch chicks are hatching, they may hunt for small insects and invertebrates to provide extra nutrients. Goldfinches are especially partial to sunflower hearts, which are a firm favourite for lots of garden birds, or niger seeds, which are only eaten by goldfinches, siskin or dunnocks.
Really Wild Bird Food recommends…
This special seed feeder has been designed with goldfinches in mind. It has a wide, feeder tube that can hold lots of niger seeds for your visiting goldfinches. The Flo Niger Feeder comes apart, making it incredibly easy to clean. We offer the Flo Niger Feeder in three different sizes, all of which come with a two-year guarantee!
To keep your Flo Niger Feeder filled up, we’d recommend buying our niger seeds. These small seeds come from the ramtil plant which is native to Ethiopia. They can be purchased in quantities ranging from 2kg to 60kg! So, whether you want to get a small amount to try or you want to stock up for the foreseeable future, we have niger seeds to suit you.
Blackbirds
Blackbirds are the third most common bird in the UK, so if you provide them with a source of food, they’re sure to visit! The males are easily distinguished by their jet black feathers and bright yellow beaks, while the females have brown plumage.
What do blackbirds eat?
Compared to other species, blackbirds aren’t too picky when it comes to food. They’ll eat suet, sunflower hearts, fruits and insects. They can often be seen jumping up and down on the ground to locate and encourage earthworms to the surface! Their bright yellow bills are actually quite soft, so they tend to avoid hard seeds or seeds with a tough husk on the outside.
Choosing bird food that’s fairly soft and easy to eat is perfect if you want to attract blackbirds into your garden. Bear in mind, blackbirds aren’t capable of clinging to feeders, so providing food on a table or ground feeder is more suitable.
Really Wild Bird Food recommends…
This Ground Feeder Tray is made of wood-effect resin, meaning it won’t become dull or rot with age. You can fill this Ground Feeder Tray with all kinds of food, but if you want to attract blackbirds, we’d recommend adding sunflower hearts, raisins, sultanas, rolled oats or mealworms!
Our ground blend is made up of muesli, raisins, rolled naked oats and much more! This special blend of food is perfect for ground feeding blackbirds and is packed full of things that they love to eat. You can use this with our Ground Feeding Tray, or scatter it directly on the floor. Just be wary that raisins can be dangerous for certain pets, so you may need to opt for our raisin-free mix instead.
Robins
Robins are Britain’s favourite birds, especially at Christmas when they’re the mascot on most cards and decorations. They have a noticeable redbreast and a beautiful birdsong that can be heard all year round.
What do robins eat?
Like blackbirds, Robins are natural ground feeders, so they prefer a bird table or ground feeding station. Robins will eat sunflower hearts, mealworms and seeds, however, their favourite food is live or dried mealworms (both of which we offer at Really Wild Bird Food). When offering dried mealworms to robins, we recommend soaking them in water for a while before putting them out on the feeder. This will make the mealworms plump and will provide the robins with an extra source of water during the drier months.
Really Wild Bird Food recommends…
This adorable window feeding tray allows you to get up-close and personal with your garden robins while they happily eat their fill. It’s made of long-lasting polycarbonate that’s resistant to rain, and also features a strong suction cup to keep the feeder secured to your window – even when robins are perching on it.
These live mealworms are perfect for providing your robins with a good source of protein and fat. They are the larvae of the flour beetle, an insect which lives in the UK and feeds on flour, grain, meal and other farm crops. As a result, these live mealworms are packed full of nutrients!
Dried mealworms are also an excellent choice for robins, and as we’ve mentioned, can be plumped up with water to provide extra hydration in the warmer months.
Knowing which birds like which foods is the first step to encouraging more birds into your garden. Shop all the products mentioned & a whole host of other bird feeding accessories at https://www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk/.
