Providing the right food is one of the best ways to attract and support birds in your garden. Different bird species prefer different types of food, and offering a variety can help bring a wider range of birds to your feeders. In this guide, we explain the most popular bird foods used in UK gardens, including seeds, suet, peanuts and mealworms, and which birds they attract. Whether you’re new to feeding birds or looking to improve your setup, this guide will help you choose the best foods to keep your garden birds healthy all year round.
If you’re looking for high-quality food to get started, take a look at our Top 10 Bird Foods for UK Garden Birds, where we’ve selected some of the best options for attracting a variety of garden birds.
Best Bird Foods at a Glance
| Bird Food | Best For | When to Use | Mess Level | Ease |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Hearts | Most garden birds | All year | Low | Easy |
| Mealworms | Robins, blackbirds | Spring/Summer | Low | Easy |
| Nyjer Seed | Goldfinches | All year | Medium | Medium |
| Peanuts | Tits, woodpeckers | Winter/Breeding | Low | Medium |
| Suet Pellets | Wide variety | Winter | Medium | Easy |
| Fat Balls | Tits, sparrows | Winter | Medium | Easy |
| Suet Blocks | Woodpeckers, nuthatches | Winter | Low | Easy |
| Ground Mix | Robins, blackbirds | All year | High | Easy |
Sunflower Hearts
One of the BEST foods for garden birds 👇
• Easy for birds to eat (no shells)
• High in energy, fats & protein
• Loved by finches, robins, tits & sparrows
• Less mess around feeders
👉 Perfect all year round — especially in winter when birds need extra energy
💡 Top tip: Start with a half-filled feeder so birds can find them easily
Live Mealworms
The ultimate treat to attract more birds FAST
• High in protein – perfect for breeding season
• Packed with moisture – great in dry or hot weather
• Loved by robins, blackbirds, blue tits & wrens
• Movement attracts birds instantly
👉 One of the BEST foods for quickly bringing birds into your garden
💡 Top tip: Use these to attract birds to new feeders, camera feeders or window feeders
We always use live mealworms on our bird table and ground feeders, especially when we want to bring birds into a new area of the garden. They work incredibly well if you’re trying to get birds comfortable with a new setup.
Niger Seed
Best for attracting goldfinches & colourful garden birds
• High in oil – packed with energy
• Perfect for finches like goldfinches, siskins & redpolls
• Encourages frequent visits to your garden
• Great all year round
👉 If you want a garden full of goldfinches, this is a must-have
💡 Top tip: You’ll need a nyjer seed feeder – the seeds are too small for standard feeders
We place ours in a slightly wilder area of the garden as they can create a bit of mess (but it’s 100% worth it when the goldfinches arrive – they’re beautiful to watch!).
Peanuts
High-energy favourite for many garden birds
• Packed with protein & healthy fats
• Great for winter and breeding season
• Loved by blue tits, great tits, woodpeckers & nuthatches
• Keeps birds coming back regularly
👉 A brilliant all-round food to support birds year-round
💡 Top tips:
• Always use a mesh peanut feeder (safer for birds)
• Only put out 1–2 days’ worth to keep them fresh
• Place near shrubs or trees for safe feeding
We also like to use peanut granules in a seed feeder, which makes it easier for smaller birds to feed.
Suet Pellets
High-energy food to attract MORE birds to your garden
• Packed with calories – perfect for colder months
• Available with insects, berries or seeds
• Easy for birds to eat
• Loved by robins, tits, starlings, woodpeckers & blackbirds
👉 One of the best foods for attracting a wide variety of birds
💡 Top tips:
• Use in feeders, on bird tables or scatter on the ground
• Great to mix with other foods for extra variety
• Ideal for boosting activity in quieter gardens
We’ve found suet pellets are brilliant for bringing more birds into the garden quickly, especially when feeding slows down in colder weather.
Fat Balls
Easy, high-energy food for busy bird feeders
• Packed with fat & calories – ideal for colder months
• Made with seeds, grains & sometimes insects
• Easy for birds to eat
• Loved by tits, robins, sparrows & starlings
👉 A simple way to keep your feeders active all year round
💡 Top tips:
• Use a fat ball feeder or place on a bird table
• Choose high-quality fat balls (cheap ones can contain fillers and spoil quickly)
• Avoid leaving them out in very hot weather
We’ve found fat balls are one of the easiest ways to keep a steady flow of birds visiting the garden, especially in winter when food is harder to find.
Below is a good quality tub of 30 from CJ Wildlife.
Suet Blocks
Long-lasting, high-energy food for garden birds
• Packed with calories – ideal for colder months
• Available with seeds, berries or insects
• Longer-lasting than many other foods
• Loved by woodpeckers, tits, starlings & nuthatches
👉 Perfect for keeping birds fed when you’re not around
💡 Top tips:
• Use with a suet block feeder for easy access
• Great for longer feeding periods with less maintenance
• Ideal if you’re going away for a few days
Suet blocks are a great option if you want a reliable, long-lasting food source that keeps birds visiting your garden without needing to refill feeders constantly.
Croston wild bird Seed Mix – No Mess
Best for attracting robins & ground-feeding birds
• Soft, easy-to-eat ingredients (mealworms, flakes & small seeds)
• Perfect for robins, blackbirds & other ground feeders
• Great for bird tables, trays or ground feeding
• Encourages more natural foraging behaviour
👉 Ideal if you want more robins visiting your garden
💡 Top tips:
• Use on a bird table, tray or ground feeder
• Place in a safe area near shrubs for cover
• Ground feeders help keep food fresh in wet weather
We often use this mix in our window feeder and the most common visitor is a robin. We also put some on the bird table and in a ground feeder — it works really well for attracting birds that don’t use hanging feeders.
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