Which kind of bird food attracts the most garden birds?
A wildlife-friendly garden is a great way to support nature and bring more life to your garden. A question we get asked regularly here at the Haith's bird food centre is, ‘What bird food attracts the most birds?’
There's a simple answer, visit our Bird ID A to Z and allow us to point you in the direction of the most appropriate bird food by species; however, the slightly longer answer is that different birds prefer different foods. And - to complicate matters further - they also have preferences to the way the food is presented; for example: on a bird table; inside a tube-type seed feeder, or sprinkled on the ground. Try them all and you'll immediately see more species of bird.
Bird food needs providing all year round, especially when birds are feeding their young. Key ingredients such as Sunflower Hearts, Niger seed and Linseed are welcome in many bird seed mixes because they are naturally high in calories. These seeds may, if they're in the area, attract Long-tailed tits, Bullfinches, Nuthatches and Song thrushes. Sunflower Hearts are now overwhelmingly more popular with Goldfinches than Niger Seed. This statement would have been unthinkable several years ago.
We have a wide range of birds foods that can be fed all year round. Our Original Wild Bird Food has been a favourite since we opened in 1937 and attracts a wide variety of garden birds.
Our Huskfree Advance mixes are can be fed all year round and they have the added benefit of being 100% edible, which means no mess, no waste. We offer three Huskfree mixes: Original Huskfree Advance, Huskfree Advance with added Suet Pellets and Huskfree Advance with added Dried Mealworms. Dried mealworms are high in protein and high-fat and they are great for the breeding season and will attract species such as Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Song thrushes, starlings, Blue tits, House sparrow, Dunnocks, Greenfinches and if you are very lucky you may even attract a beautiful Spotted Woodpecker to your garden.
According to a recent article published by the BTO: “Providing extra food in early spring led to earlier egg laying and increased productivity for the Great Spotted Woodpecker.” In fact, Great Spotted Woodpeckers “produced almost twice as many fledged youngsters.” This is fantastic news and confirms that feeding wild birds is supporting conservation.
In the summer months live foods, such as Mealworms, Mini Mealworms and Wax Worms, are favoured by Blue and Great Tits, as their nestlings are fed nothing else.
Our 100% edible Super Softfoods are valuable to insectivorous softbills, like thrushes and Wrens who benefit from dried mealworms, berries, raisins and high-protein sunflower hearts. Our softfoods are really easy to feed you can place them in a softfood feeder or sprinkle them directly onto the ground to attract garden favourite like Blackbirds, Robins, wrens and Dunnocks.
During the autumn and winter months, it can be the difference between life and death during sudden cold snaps which means our feathered friends need a little extra help. Suet is a high-energy super food for wild birds and is greatly appreciated during the cooler month. Suet comes in many shapes and sizes ranging from our Suet Pellet Extra which can be fed from the ground, from a bird table, or from a seed feeder right up to our Mealworm bird cakes which are full of essential fats, dried mealworms and packed with calories.
So to sum up the question, ‘What bird food attracts the most birds?’ If you feed them Haith's SuperClean bird food you are guaranteed high-quality food that's nutritious and safe and before you know it you will have a wide variety of garden birds visiting your garden.
Written by Clair
