Our latest guidance on feeding garden birds

In winter and spring (1 November-30 April) you can feed a full range of bird foods, including mealworms, fat balls, suet, seeds and peanuts. 

Adjust the amount you offer based on demand and try to prevent it from getting wet. Choose hanging feeders over flat feeders like bird tables, clean your feeders weekly, and replace water every day.

We’ve been working with experts to find a solution, and we believe that, together, we can make a difference by feeding birds seasonally and safely.

During summer and autumn, there’s a higher risk of disease spreading. But it’s also when there are more natural foods available to birds, such as seeds and insects. 

Busy bird feeders can become hotspots for disease. To help keep birds healthy, it’s vital to keep things clean – which is why we’ve strengthened our existing hygiene guidance. We recommend you:

• Don’t use bird feeders with flat surfaces, such as bird tables, window feeders and feeders with trays. Research has confirmed that there’s a higher risk of disease spreading on flat surfaces, where contaminated food can collect.
• Clean your bird feeders and water baths at least once a week. Good hygiene is essential. Clean with hot soapy water and disinfect with a non-toxic disinfectant such as Ark-Klens or a mild (5%) bleach solution. Make sure you also clean away any old food or droppings from beneath feeders.  
• Place your bird feeders in a different spot every week. This helps to prevent any build-up of potentially contaminated debris underneath. If you have more than one feeder, put them in different areas to reduce the number of birds in one place and the mixing of different species. 
• Avoid putting feeders under places where birds roost, such as under trees. This will help to avoid contamination through droppings. 
• Feed in moderation. Adjust the amount you offer based on demand to avoid overfeeding. Suet products can be left out for up to seven days. Seeds and peanuts should all be eaten within one to two days. Mealworms should all be eaten or cleared away by dusk the same day (especially if scattered on the ground). This will help to prevent any leftover mealworms being consumed by Hedgehogs, which Hedgehog rehabilitators have raised as a concern. 
• Keep food as dry as possible. Damp food allows disease to survive and spread. Choose feeders that prevent rain getting in and limit condensation.
• Change water in bird baths daily. Only offer water if you’re able to change it every day and, depending on your location, make sure it’s tap water – see the FAQs to find out more. A pond is the best way to provide birds and other wildlife with water. 
• Help birds find their own food. One of the best ways to support garden birds in the long-term is to help them find their own food. So, fill your outdoor space with bird-friendly plants such as sunflowers, teasels and ivy. These help provide natural food sources for birds.

Research shows that transmission is most likely through birds sharing contaminated food. In a recent study of shared feeding sites in gardens, no trichomonosis was found on feeder surfaces (0 out of 79 feeders tested).  

This suggests that the equipment itself isn’t the main risk. However, trichomonosis was detected on food in feeders, base trays, and on the ground below. Sick birds often regurgitate food that they can’t swallow, and this food is likely to be contaminated with the parasite. 

Yes. Our evidence review found that bird tables and other flat feeders pose the greatest risk of disease transmission. 

Birds that are sick with trichomonosis often perch on flat surfaces where they attempt to feed. The disease makes swallowing food difficult, so they often regurgitate contaminated food back on to the flat surface where it's then available for healthy birds to pick up.  

Even daily feeder cleaning will not prevent the consumption by healthy birds of previously regurgitated food. That’s why we advise that no flat-surface feeders, including bird tables and window feeders, are used to feed birds. 

Sadly, yes. While the research didn't find the trichomonosis parasite on the surface of feeders, it was detected on food within the feeder and on food dropped by birds beneath the feeder. 

The disease spreads via saliva when infected birds drop contaminated food that healthy birds then eat. So, regular cleaning of feeders is probably not enough on its own to remove the risk of trichomonosis. 

That’s why we recommend following our guidance to Feed Safely. As well as cleaning your feeder once a week, clean away any old food or droppings from beneath the feeder, place your feeder in a different spot every week, and don’t use feeders with a flat surface. 

We know people enjoy feeding birds, and many of our supporters tell us how much joy it brings them and how beneficial it is for their wellbeing. 

We also know that people are keen to help their garden birds. This year, well over half a million people (650,279) took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch to help us understand how garden birds are faring. 

We hope that this nation of bird-lovers will be keen to help garden birds by following our advice to feed seasonally and feed safely. After all, for most people who feed birds, an important motivation is to help them survive. 

A review into the pros and cons of feeding garden birds found strong evidence that supplementary feeding promotes the spread of diseases in gardens, including the trichomonosis parasite.   

Across the UK, trichomonosis has caused serious declines in Greenfinch and Chaffinch populations and may now be causing a rapid decline amongst Bullfinches. The scientific evidence shows that the risk of trichomonosis outbreaks is highest in summer and autumn.  

Our Conservation Scientists have worked with other expert partners to find a solution. We now recommend that you pause feeding your garden birds seeds and peanuts between 1 May and 31 October. During this time, you can continue to offer small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet. In spring and summer, dried mealworms can be soaked in water to make them easier for nestlings to eat. 

We’re currently seeing huge declines in the UK’s Greenfinch and Chaffinch populations, and we may also be seeing a rapid decline in Bullfinches, caused by the disease trichomonosis.  

Finch species prefer to eat seeds, but when seeds aren’t available, they will divert to peanuts. As finches rarely eat fat balls, suet and mealworms, we consider these foods are low risk when it comes to the spread of trichomonosis. 

To reduce the risk of disease further, we also recommend that you: only feed small amounts; don’t use bird feeders with flat surfaces; keep your feeders clean; and only put out water if you can change it every day.

The evidence review found that it’s often beneficial to feed birds during winter, especially during cold weather when natural food can be in short supply. Birds can also benefit from feeding between March and April. This is sometimes called the ‘hungry gap’ as there are fewer natural foods available for seed-eating birds, such as finches, at this time of year. 

Although trichomonosis occurs all year round, the likelihood of disease outbreaks is lower during winter. Therefore, we’ve carefully balanced the benefits of feeding against the risks of disease and believe that we can continue to feed our garden birds if we feed the right types of food at the right times of year.  

By following our guidance to feed seasonally and feed safely, we can all help protect the future of our birds.

We know that the trichomonosis parasite can survive in water and this may be one way the disease is spread in gardens. To minimise the risks, we recommend that you only put water out for birds if you’re able to change it every day using tap water, and if there is no local pond available.   

A pond is often the best source of water for birds as they’re likely to have a lower risk of trichomonosis than bird baths. 

We advise tap water as it’s likely to provide more protection against diseases than rainwater. However, this advice does differ if your water is chloraminated instead of chlorinated. You can find out how your water is treated on your water company’s website. 

In cases where your water is chloraminated, use a bird bath that is elevated if you can.  If your bird bath is on ground level, we recommend only refilling it using rainwater. Make sure rainwater is collected in a water butt with a lid, too, to prevent mosquitos breeding.

We believe there is enough natural food available for garden birds between 1 May and 31 October. Natural food plants are at their peak during this time, and we expect that birds will adapt to the removal of seed and peanut feeders in gardens. 

By following our guidance to feed seasonally and feed safely, we can help reduce the spread of disease. We’ll also be monitoring how garden birds respond and may refine our advice in the unlikely event that there are problems with food shortages. 

Our feeding advice is based on scientific evidence, balancing the benefits for birds with the risk of disease. Trichomonosis mainly affects seed‑eating finches and is more common in summer and autumn. 

Because of this, we recommend that you pause feeding your birds seeds or peanuts between 1 May and 31 October. But you can continue to offer small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet. Research shows animal protein, such as mealworms, boosts chick survival, which is why we recommend small amounts year-round. 

By changing our feeding habits, we can help stop the spread of disease among garden birds. This means pausing feeding seeds and peanuts between 1 May and 31 October, while supporting birds with protein foods and bird‑friendly planting.