British gardens are one of the best places in the world to watch birds up close, and many species visit feeders all year. Here's who to look for and how to look after them.
All common across most of the UK, in towns as well as the countryside.
Look for: Orange-red face and breast, brown back, round and upright. Sings almost all year.
Eats: Insects, worms, mealworms, sunflower hearts and suet.
Tip: Prefers a tray or ground feeding to hanging feeders, so a window tray suits it well.
Look for: Small, with a blue cap, white cheeks and yellow underparts.
Eats: Insects, sunflower hearts, peanuts and fat.
Tip: Agile and quick to find new feeders. Often the first visitor.
Look for: Larger than a blue tit, with a black head, white cheeks and a black stripe down a yellow breast.
Eats: Insects, seeds and nuts.
Tip: Listen for its two-note “teacher, teacher” song from late winter.
Look for: Red face, black-and-white head, broad gold wing bars.
Eats: Small seeds: nyjer and sunflower hearts.
Tip: Often arrives in chattering groups.
Look for: Males have a grey crown and black bib; females are plain brown and buff.
Eats: Seeds and insects.
Tip: Has declined sharply in the UK. Thick hedges and seed help.
Look for: Males jet black with an orange-yellow bill; females dark brown.
Eats: Worms, insects, fruit, mealworms.
Tip: A ground and tray feeder. Windfall apples in winter are a treat.
Look for: Males have a pinkish breast and blue-grey cap; both sexes show white wing bars.
Eats: Seeds, often picked up from under feeders.
Tip: Keep the ground under feeders clean to avoid spreading disease.
Look for: Streaky brown with a grey head and a thin bill. Shuffles quietly under hedges.
Eats: Insects and small seeds.
Tip: Easy to mistake for a sparrow. Watch for the thin bill.
Look for: Glossy, iridescent green and purple; spotted with white in winter.
Eats: Insects, fat, almost anything.
Tip: Comes in noisy groups. Small trays limit how much they can take at once.
Look for: Tiny pink, black and white ball with a very long tail.
Eats: Insects, fat and suet.
Tip: Travels in flocks, especially in winter.
Look for: Tiny and brown with a cocked tail and a surprisingly loud song.
Eats: Insects and spiders.
Tip: Rarely uses feeders, but loves dense cover and log piles.
Look for: Olive-green with bright yellow flashes in the wings and tail.
Eats: Sunflower hearts and seeds.
Tip: Hit hard by the disease trichomonosis, which spreads at dirty feeders. Clean often.
In the UK it's fine to feed garden birds all year round, and the RSPB encourages it, as long as feeders are kept clean.
Diseases like trichomonosis spread between birds at dirty feeders. Clean feeders and trays every week or two with hot soapy water, rinse and dry. If you see sick-looking birds (fluffed up and lethargic), stop feeding for a couple of weeks to let them disperse.
We don't sell seed. Buy it from a garden centre or wildlife supplier.
Sunflower hearts are the best all-rounder: no husks, high energy and loved by tits, finches and robins. Add mealworms for robins.
Yes. The RSPB says feeding year-round helps. Just avoid whole peanuts and fat in mesh nets during the breeding season.
Often there's simply more natural food about, especially in late summer and autumn. They usually return as the weather turns.
A printable guide and spotting journal. $9, emailed after checkout.