UK Garden Bird Feeding Guide

Below we’ve given you a list of the top recorded birds visiting British gardens with description, habits feeding preferences and how you can attract more of them.

Providing food for birds is one of the most enjoyable pastimes and knowing which food to offer and where the bird likes to eat, can increase the number of birds visiting your garden and your enjoyment feeding them. We have in excess of 570 bird species living in the UK and each of them has a special diet and feeding preferences.

You have to wonder at the sheer diversity of birds; over 10,000 species worldwide and new one’s are still being found! Each species has evolved to occupy its own little niche and we need to take this into account when feeding birds in the garden.

At Ark Wildlife we separate all our food into groups, helping you determine where and how to use the feed and giving guidance on the type of species it will attract. If you’d like a greater diversity of species visiting your garden, follow the guides. Provide tiered feeding stations and a variety of foods and see how many you can attract, most gardens can expect to see 30 plus species in a year and you know you’re doing well when you can list over 40 bird species from your garden.

*KEY
In= Insectivore (Insect eater), Gn= Granivore (Seed eater), Om= Omnivore (Mixed diet)
Fd= Hanging Feeders, Tb= Bird Tables, Gd= On the ground
(B)= Bold type signifies first preference

A - Z of Garden Birds

Blackbird - Omnivore – Tb – Gd

Blackcap - Omnivore - Fd - Tb - Gd

Blue Tit - Insectivore – Fd – Tb

Brambling - Granivore – Fd – Tb  - Gd

Bullfinch - Granivore – Fd – Tb

Chaffinch - Granivore – Fd – Tb – Gd

Coal Tit - Insectivore – Fd – Tb

Collard Dove - Granivore – Tb – Gd

Dunnock - Insectivore – Tb – Gd

Goldcrest - Insectivore - Fd - Tb

Goldfinch - Granivore – Fd - Tb - Gd

Great Tit - Insectivore – Fd – Tb

Gt. Spotted Woodpecker - Insectivore – Fd

Greenfinch - Granivore – Fd – Tb

House Sparrow - Granivore – Fd – Tb – Gd

Long-Tailed Tit - Insectivore – Fd

Nuthatch - Omnivore – Fd - Tb

Redpoll - Granivore – Fd – Tb

Siskin - Granivore – Fd – Tb

Song Thrush - Insectivore – Gd

Starling - Omnivore – Tb – Gd

Robin - Insectivore – Tb – Gd

Willow Tit - Insectivore - Fd - Tb

Wren - Insectivore – Gd