Feeding garden birds in winter: when to start, what to give, what to avoid

When to start feeding birds, and when to stop

In Wisconsin, black-capped chickadees had feeders for 25 winters in a row before researchers took them away. In the 26th winter, they survived no worse than chickadees in a nearby area that had no feeders either. Even when fed, they were still getting nearly 80% of their food from the wild [1]. A feeder, in other words, is less a life-support drip than a helping hand, and that hand matters most when the cold locks the larder.

In the UK, the rules changed in April 2026. The RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) now advise putting out seeds and peanuts from November to April only, and pausing them from 1 May to 31 October [8, 11]. Mealworms, fat balls and suet can still be offered all year round, in small amounts [11]. Through autumn and winter, the RSPB suggests putting out food and water regularly, because birds need high-energy, high-fat food in cold weather [7].

Timing within the day helps too. Birds are hungriest early in the morning, after a long night without food, and the Swiss Ornithological Institute suggests topping up in the evening, with enough to last 24 hours [5].

Why the summer pause? The RSPB’s review of the evidence found that the risk of trichomonosis outbreaks is highest in summer and autumn, and the disease mainly affects seed-eating finches. Natural food also peaks at that time of year, so the RSPB expects birds to adapt, and it will monitor how garden birds respond [11]. Until then, it had encouraged year-round feeding since the late 1980s [1].

What to feed: seeds, fats and fruit

Good news: there’s no need for a complicated menu. Many people use black sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts as their staple foods, alongside quality peanuts, Nyjer seed and high-energy mixes, says the BTO [8]. Finches love sunflower hearts, and Nyjer draws goldfinches and siskins [7]. Dark sunflower seeds have softer shells than pale ones, so birds open them more easily [5]. Steer clear of mixes padded out with ‘fillers’ such as dried peas and beans, red dari and wholewheat, which birds rarely eat [7]; in France, the LPO’s basic recipe is simply a third each of black sunflower seed, peanuts and cracked maize [2, 3].

Blackbirds, robins and starlings are the only insect and fruit eaters that visit feeders regularly, and they like oat flakes, chopped nuts, unsulphured raisins and fruit that is past its best but never mouldy [5]. The RSPB adds apples and pears, and dried fruit soaked in water first, in small amounts that get eaten quickly [7].

Suet balls and other fat-based bars are excellent high-energy foods for winter [7]. Soft fats and cooking oils are another matter: they can go rancid and soil birds’ plumage [18]. Fat from cooked meat is too soft and encourages bacteria, according to the LPO [4], which also avoids anything made with palm oil [2].

Bread, milk, leftovers: what never to put out

Bread is where most good intentions go wrong. Garden Wildlife Health lists dry bread among the foods not to put out unless it has been soaked and crumbled: large chunks can choke small birds, and mouldy bread can contain toxins [18]. France’s LPO goes further and rules bread out altogether: birds don’t digest it, it swells in the stomach [4], and its high salt content can kill them [2]. Milk is out too: birds can’t digest it, and the LPO warns that it can cause fatal digestive problems [3, 18]. So are salty foods such as crisps and salted nuts [18].

The same goes at the pond. In France, the LPO asks people not to feed ducks, swans, coots and moorhens, which live mainly on plant matter, unless the water is completely frozen, and then only with suitable food such as duck pellets. Bread even causes a wing deformity in their growing young, known as ‘angel wing’, which stops them flying [4, 6].

Another trap, less obvious: the netting around fat balls. Birds can get their feet caught in it, and woodpeckers even their beak or tongue, causing serious injury [18]. Always take it off; the LPO’s shop in France no longer sells fat balls in nets at all [4].

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Peanuts, finally, can carry a naturally occurring toxin, aflatoxin. The BTO advises buying them from a reputable supplier, in small quantities, keeping them cool and dry, avoiding any with signs of mould, and offering them behind wire mesh so that a bird can’t carry off a whole nut [8]: whole peanuts can choke small birds [18].

Where to put your feeder

The RSPB suggests somewhere quiet, where birds won’t be disturbed; safe, not too close to bushes where predators could lie in wait, but close enough to cover for birds to dart away; and sheltered from harsh winds [7]. Garden Wildlife Health puts the ideal distance at around 2 m from dense vegetation: cats can’t hide close to the feeder, yet birds can reach cover quickly [18]. Move feeders regularly to avoid a build-up of dropped food, and make sure you can see them from indoors: that’s half the pleasure [7]. France’s LPO also favours several small feeding points over one big one, to avoid crowds [3], and picking up seed spilt on the ground, which attracts rodents [6].

Why feeders spread disease

A feeder brings birds of several species together in a small space, which helps disease spread [5]. The commonest at garden feeders are trichomonosis, scaly leg, avian pox and salmonellosis, according to the LPO [4], which worries most about highly gregarious species such as chaffinches, greenfinches, siskins and sparrows [2].

The most closely watched is trichomonosisA bird disease caused by Trichomonas gallinae, a single-celled parasite that infects the upper digestive tract. [10]. A sick bird struggles to swallow and brings up its food; healthy birds catch the disease by eating food contaminated with its saliva [11]. Fluffed up and lethargic, it drinks a lot and often dies within a few days. The parasite poses no known health risk to people, dogs or cats [10, 12].

It first appeared in British finches in summer 2005. From 2006 to 2009, the UK’s breeding greenfinch population fell from about 4.3 million to 2.8 million birds, the largest-scale mortality of British birds from infectious disease on record [12]. Over three decades, greenfinch numbers have dropped by more than 65%, and chaffinches lost 39% between 2012 and 2022 [16]. France has not been spared: local outbreaks have been confirmed since the late 2000s, including a well-documented winter episode around Boulogne-sur-Mer in 2016-2017 [10].

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Bird tables are the weak spot. On a flat surface, birds face each other, jostle and soil the food with saliva, debris and droppings [10]; a bird with trichomonosis perches there and brings up the food it can’t swallow, right where others feed [11]. The RSPB’s review found that bird tables and other flat feeders pose the greatest risk: it now advises against them, and its shops suspended the sale of bird tables in December 2025 [11, 16]. France’s LPO likewise prefers selective vertical feeders [6], and insists that any tray has a roof, because rain or meltwater left standing in it breeds disease [4].

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Cleaning feeders, and what to do about a sick bird

The RSPB’s routine: brush off debris every time you put out fresh food, scrub feeders weekly with a mild disinfectant, and move them to a new spot after each clean so that droppings don’t build up underneath [7]. Garden Wildlife Health suggests a weak solution of household bleach, then a thorough rinse and air-drying [12, 18]; France’s LPO uses a brush, water and soap, then diluted bleach, without forgetting water dishes and perches [4, 10]. Only put out what will be eaten in a day or two, and empty out old food before refilling [7].

Water in winter, without letting it freeze

We think of seed and forget water. Yet birds need to drink in winter, when their diet becomes more seed-based, and frost often cuts them off from natural water: some resort to ‘drinking’ snow, burning precious energy to melt it [13]. The RSPB’s rule is simple: replace the water with fresh tap water every day (rainwater if your supply is chloraminated) and disinfect the container weekly. If you or a neighbour has a shallow-edged pond, there’s no need, unless it has dried out or frozen [7].

A shallow container works best: a dustbin lid or a plant saucer will do, says the RSPB [7]. France’s LPO recommends 3 to 4 cm of water for small species, up to 9 cm for larger ones, with gently sloping, non-slip edges and a stone in the middle to perch on [13].

Above all, add nothing to stop it freezing: never anti-freeze, which is extremely toxic to birds and to cats and dogs [18], nor salt, alcohol or oil. The LPO’s tip: pour in lukewarm water at regular times, so birds learn to come and drink before it freezes over. A sheltered spot and a hollow base that insulates the dish from the ground also delay freezing [13].

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Here’s the detail that changes everything in severe cold: stop birds bathing. Soaked birds may not dry quickly enough, chill suddenly and die [13]; Belgium’s Natagora suggests covering the bath with medium-mesh wire netting at such times [14]. The rest of the time, keep the water fresh and the container clean: the LPO changes it at least three times a week in winter and every day in high summer [13].

Why the advice differs from one country to another

Cross the Channel and the advice changes. Nobody is contradicting anyone for the sake of it: each organisation works from its own evidence, and from the threat that worries it most.

France’s LPO is the strictest on timing: winter only, from mid-November to the end of March, even in a summer drought [3, 6]. It advises against feeding in the breeding season for want of a clear scientific assessment of the risks [3]: parents must then feed their young solely on prey such as caterpillars and insects, and several studies have shown that pairs fed at that time laid earlier, so that their chicks’ needs fell out of step with the peak of natural food [4]. As spring returns, the LPO suggests cutting quantities before stopping altogether [2].

So the disagreements are about timing and a few foods. On hygiene, the RSPB, the LPO, the Swiss institute and Natagora agree: clean feeders, and an immediate stop when birds fall ill [4, 5, 7, 14]. In a British garden, the RSPB’s calendar is the one to follow: seeds and peanuts in the cold months, a break in the warm ones.

Which birds visit feeders in winter

At the 2026 Big Garden Birdwatch, 650,279 people took part, and once again the house sparrow came top, ahead of the blue tit, the starling, the woodpigeon and the blackbird [19]. The greenfinch, seventh when the survey began in 1979, was down to 18th [16]. In France, at the January 2025 national count, great tits, robins and blue tits were seen in more than 70% of gardens [10].

Fancy knowing who visits yours? The Big Garden Birdwatch asks for just one hour of watching, and our guide explains how to take part in the winter bird counts. Bring a frosty morning and a hot cup of tea: the little blue-and-yellow flash darting towards the seed will do the rest.

Nolwenn Bastide

Trail running, snow, water, nature and destinations

Nolwenn covers trail running, snow, water, nature and destinations for Outfarer. Curious about everything, from meteor showers to night-train timetables, she has a knack for unearthing the one detail that changes everything, and putting it in a single sentence.

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