Bird feeder types for a UK garden

A feeder is a way of offering a particular food without making a pile that sits in the rain. The RSPB’s feeding page describes the types that match the foods they recommend. This is not a ranked “best buy”. We have not opened shop pages for ordinary seed feeders, so there are no model names and no prices here.

Hang it, and skip the flat top

The RSPB’s current advice is to avoid feeders with a flat surface: bird tables, window feeders, and feeders with trays. Their news explainer says research found a higher risk of disease on those surfaces, because contaminated food collects there. Sick birds with trichomonosis often try to feed from a flat perch and regurgitate food that other birds then eat. They say even daily cleaning does not stop a healthy bird eating that food. The BTO’s feeding FAQs say the same about bird tables, troughs on the bottom of hanging feeders, and ground stations: flat surfaces look riskier than hanging feeders, and are best avoided.

So the feeders below are hanging ones, without a tray you are tempted to keep.

Seed feeders

The RSPB says seed feeders are for sunflower seeds and for mixes labelled as feeder seed. Sunflower hearts need no special port; they are the husk-free kernels. A tube with ports is the usual shape. Look for one you can take apart. The BTO’s hygiene notes say an ideal feeder comes completely apart, because food sticks in the joints you cannot reach.

Keep the food dry. The RSPB says choose a feeder that keeps rain out and limits condensation, that drains, and that does not let old food build up. Damp food is where disease lasts.

How much it holds matters less than how fast it empties. Seeds should be eaten in one or two days. A large tube that sits full for a fortnight works against that.

Mesh nut feeders

Peanuts are only for 1 November to 30 April under the current RSPB and BTO advice. When you do offer them, the RSPB says a rigid steel mesh feeder is the only safe method, so birds nibble pieces instead of taking a whole nut. Whole peanuts are one of the foods the RSPB says can choke chicks if adults carry them back to a nest.

The BTO adds: buy from a reputable source, reject any nut that looks mouldy, keep the bag cool and dry, and buy amounts you will use rather than a sack that sits. Peanuts can carry aflatoxin.

Nyjer feeders

Nyjer is a very small seed. The BTO says it has to go in a feeder with smaller ports, otherwise it pours out. They note goldfinches took to it, and that some goldfinches now seem to prefer sunflower hearts and only move to nyjer when the other feeders are busy. That may be local. You do not need a nyjer feeder on day one if hearts are already out.

Suet feeders

Suet is the food both organisations say can continue through the summer, in small amounts, when seeds and peanuts pause. A mesh or a cage that holds a ball or a cake is the usual hanger. The RSPB says suet should be eaten within seven days, and that homemade fat can soften in hot weather. A feeder in the shade is their suggestion if a cake slumps.

Mealworms

A small tray or a dish with a roof, or a scatter on the ground, is how the RSPB describes offering them. Anything scattered should be gone by dusk. That rule is there for hedgehogs as well as for birds. If rats are already visiting, do not scatter. See squirrels, pigeons and rats.

What to check before you buy

• It comes apart for a weekly clean. See cleaning.
• It has no tray, or you are willing to take the tray off.
• The capacity matches one or two days of seed, not a month.
• Nuts, if you feed them in the cold months, are behind rigid mesh.
• You can hang it somewhere you will actually move it. The RSPB asks for a different spot each week where the garden allows. Where to hang it.

We have not tested a feeder. If a later page names one, the figures will be the maker’s, with the date we read them.

Are bird tables still recommended?

No. The RSPB says not to use bird tables, window feeders or feeders with trays. The BTO’s FAQs say flat surfaces are best avoided.

Do I need a different feeder for each food?

It helps. The BTO suggests offering seed, fruit and mealworms at separate sites so birds with different diets are not pressed together. A seed tube and a suet cage are the usual pair.

Can I use a window feeder on a balcony?

The RSPB includes window feeders in the flat-surface list they say not to use. A small hanging feeder, fixed so it cannot fall into the street, fits the advice better. See the planner for a balcony.