Top 5 Best Wild Bird Food

Thursday 27th May 2021
Goldfinch at feeder Birds feeding at bird feeder

Not all bird food is the same and it can become quite difficult to understand why there are so many different types and which one is best for you and the wild birds you want to attract.

Now, the title of this post is a little misleading as there is no real top 5 best bird food that you can buy. It all depends on the season and the type of birds that visit your feeders or the type of birds you want to visit your feeders. We recommend testing different mixes and observing what happens and how the birds react.

That being said, having a good understanding of the best wild bird food to offer will seriously improve your chances of drawing a wide range of wild birds into your garden. So we’ve put together a list of the top 5 bird seeds that will help you understand better which ones will best suit you.

5. Canary Seed

Rape seed is a popular choice among doves, finches, and juncos. But, if you’re not seeing these birds in your garden we suggest you look further down the list as the rapeseed will be left to spoil.

Buy Rape Seed from only £1.00 per kilo

4. White Millet

Finches, House Sparrows, Reed Buntings, Yellow Hammers and Collared Doves are all partial to white millet. And due to its small size Dunnocks will eat white millet despite having soft beaks. It is also often favoured by ground birds and can be spread on the ground to attract these birds.

Buy White Millet from only £0.95 per kilo

3. Peanuts

Peanuts are very popular with jays, crows, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, and many other species. However, peanuts are also enjoyed by squirrels, and other animals that you may want to keep away. Like corn, peanuts have a high likelihood of harboring aflatoxins, so must be kept dry and used up quickly. Make sure to change the seed frequently, especially during rainy or humid weather, completely emptying out and cleaning the tube every time.

Buy Whole Peanuts from only £2.03 per kilo

Buy Chopped Peanuts from only £2.19 per kilo

2. Niger (Nyger) Seed

Niger seed is rich in oil, highly nutritious, and is a great energy source for garden birds. Also making it a great choice for winter feeding. The majority of birds would eat nothing but niger seed if it was possible. Niger seed is small which lends itself to attracting birds such as finches, sparrows, redpolls, siskins, doves and pigeons.

Buy Niger Seed from only £1.65 per kilo

1. Sunflower Hearts

Sunflower hearts attract a variety of species including blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, collared doves, dunnocks, goldfinches, great spotted woodpeckers, great tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, long-tailed tits, nuthatches, robins, starlings and wood pigeons.

They’re easy to eat, packed full of essential oils and have a high nutrient content. Sunflower hearts are at the number one spot for the best all-round bird seed.

Buy Sunflower Hearts from only £1.48 per kilo