Learn about birds

What's on the menu

You've got your feeders in place, but what food should you put out for the birds? Take a look at our list below for some ideas.

While you don't need to put out all of the things suggested, the more variety there is, the more likely it is that you will be visited by lots of different types of birds.

Bird seed mixtures

Good bird seed mixtures contain flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules.

Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches and collared doves, while tits and greenfinches favour peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Wheat and barley grains are really only suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants.

Goldfinches and siskins like to eat nyjer seeds but you will need a special type of feeder.

Bread

Although you can leave out bread crumbs you should only leave small amounts. Brown bread is better than white.

Cheese

Mild grated cheddar will attract robins, wrens and dunnocks.

Fats

Great spotted woodpeckers, thrushes, wrens and tits will eat fats, including suet. But do not use polyunsaturated fats.

Fruit

Chopped apples, pears and other soft fruit (including bruised fruit) will be enjoyed by thrushes, tits and starlings.

Pastry

Cooked or uncooked pastry will be popular with many birds.

Peanuts

Peanuts contain fat and tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and siskins all eat them. Crushed or grated nuts attract robins, dunnocks and even wrens.

Salted or dry roasted peanuts should not be used as this will dehydrate a bird quickly

Rice

Brown or white cooked rice can be scattered on bird tables or on the ground. Many birds will eat cooked rice.

Do not use rice that was cooked in salted water or has had water added.

During our birdwatch we turned part of the class into a bird hide, where we watched the birds eat the bird cake we had made. We used binoculars and the digital camera and worked in pairs. We had a video conference with a school in Mississippi and saw inside their woodpeckers nest.

Reception Teacher, Kent

Make a speedy bird cake

Give the birds a treat and keep them happy with this quick and easy cake recipe. More...