What not to feed to garden birds
View All BlogsFor most people feeding the birds in their gardens, all the food they put out is purchased for just that purpose – so products such as sunflower hearts, seed mixes and suet products etc. There are also useful and healthy additions to put out which most households would already have, with a good example being apples – which are a great food in the winter months to attract Blackbirds and migrant Fieldfares.
However, most of the food types we keep in our homes for our own consumption are not suitable for garden birds, and indeed some are can be very harmful to them. So here we’ve listed some key examples of foods not to put out in your garden for birds.
Bread
It’s now widely known that feeding bread to ducks at local ponds and rivers is not a good thing to do, but actually the same is true for garden birds such as House sparrows and Starlings which will readily eat bread. The main issue is that bread not only has little nutritional value for birds, but it also fills their stomachs quickly which discourages them from feeding on other foods which would be of benefit to them.
Foods which contain salt
Most processed foods are high in salt with a prime example being bacon. Some cooked firm animal fats which don’t contain salt are fine for birds, but bacon fat most certainly isn’t. And to be clear on the problem: salt is toxic to songbirds – even in small quantities.
Fat which is relatively liquid
We all know that suet-based products such as fat balls are great for many species of garden bird, but one of the reasons birds are able to safely consume it is because the product is firm. In contrast, fat which is much less firm – e.g. on the remains of a roast chicken or turkey – can mean that birds can end up with the fat on their feathers as they attempt to feed on it, with this potentially impeding their ability to fly.
Other foods to avoid
- Desiccated coconut – this is highly dangerous and potentially fatal to birds, because once in their stomachs it will swell as it absorbs liquid.
- Chocolate – well it’s perhaps unlikely you’d put out this food as most of us love it for ourselves, but anyway it’s important to know that chocolate is toxic to birds.
- Milk – birds are unable to digest milk and consuming it can lead to their death.
- Avocado – this is perhaps a surprising one, but the reality is that avocado contains a substance called persin which can cause heart damage and breathing difficulties for birds, which can then result in sudden death.
- Any mouldy or spoiled foods – in the same way it is to humans, any mouldy or spoiled food is harmful and potentially lethal to garden birds.
On a final note, if you’re ever in any doubt about what foods to put out and what not to, then just play it safe and provide the birds in your garden with the products we supply from here at Vine House Farm.