What Are Softbill Birds?

Softbill birds are birds who, due to their relatively soft beaks, are unable to crack open seeds or penetrate through the tough outer layers of certain husks and grains (whereas hardbill birds like finches and tits can use their beaks to crack open seeds and nuts with ease).

The most common softbill birds in the UK are blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks, wrens and robins, all of which can be seen in gardens up and down the country. But how can you attract these softies to your patch? Keep reading to find out!

What Do Softbill Birds Eat?

Softbill birds tend to be mostly insectivorous, meaning they feed on insects, worms and other invertebrates. Softbills are particularly fond of live mealworms, but you can also soak dried mealworms overnight as a special juicy treat!

A variety of fruits and soft grains will also go down well with your local softbills. You can even try to grow berry-bearing plants like hawthorn, holly and honeysuckle in your garden if you want to provide them with a plentiful natural supply of their favourite snacks.

Softbill birds can also eat certain seeds if the husk has been removed. For example, dehusked sunflower hearts are OK for soft-billed species.

At Really Wild Bird Food, we stock a variety of premade softbill bird food mixes that are sure to go down a treat with your local softbils.

What Type of Feeder Is Best for Softbill Birds?

Most softbill birds have a preference for feeding on the ground, as this is where they usually find tasty insects and worms to gobble up. This means you’re unlikely to have much success attracting softbills to your garden using a hanging feeder.

Instead, try one of our ground feeders – but make sure you protect the feeder with a ground feeder guardian if you want to keep predators and larger birds away!

At Really Wild Bird Food, we offer FREE delivery on any orders that contain a bird seed mix, so get your softbill bird food, ground feeder and feeder guardian today to take advantage of this deal!

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