Winter is when garden birds benefit most from extra food. Short days leave little time to feed, and cold nights burn through energy. The RSPB's current advice is to feed mainly through autumn and winter, keep feeders clean, and stop putting out seed and peanuts over the summer to reduce the spread of disease (RSPB guidance).
The best winter foods
- Fat balls, suet blocks and suet pellets – high in energy and popular with tits, starlings and woodpeckers. See our fats and suets.
- Sunflower hearts – no husks, so less mess, and eaten by finches, tits and robins.
- High-energy seed mixes – a blend for hanging feeders or tables. See our seed blends.
- Peanuts – always in a mesh feeder, never loose, so birds can't take whole nuts.
Choosing feeders
- Use mesh or cage feeders for fat balls, not the nylon nets they sometimes come in, which can trap birds' feet.
- Use a seed feeder with ports for mixes and sunflower hearts, and a suet block feeder for cakes.
- Feeders with a tray catch spilled food and keep the ground cleaner.
Browse our wild bird feeders.
Keeping birds healthy
- Clean feeders and tables regularly with hot soapy water or a pet-safe disinfectant, and rinse well.
- Move feeders now and then so droppings don't build up underneath.
- Only put out what birds clear in a day or two, so food doesn't go mouldy.
- Put out fresh water every day and break the ice in freezing weather.
- If you see sick or fluffed-up birds, stop feeding for a couple of weeks and clean everything.
Buying in bulk
Large sacks work out much cheaper per kilo. A 20kg sack of seed or barley ships for one £4.99 delivery charge to mainland UK, and orders placed by 11am Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day. See all winter wild bird food.