Sunflower hearts, mixes, suet and mealworms

People ask which food is “best”, and which is cheapest per kilo. The second question needs a price on a page we opened. On 14 November 2026 we did not open a bird-food shop page with a pack weight and a price, so this guide does not invent a cost per kilo. Check the retailer on the day. The first question has a better answer: foods suit different birds, and two of them are seasonal.

The sources are the RSPB feeding page, the RSPB’s October 2026 explainer, and the BTO feeding page.

Sunflower hearts and black sunflower

The BTO says black sunflower seed has a thinner husk than striped sunflower, so birds open it more easily. Greenfinches and tits take it. The mess is the pile of husks underneath. Hearts are the kernel with the husk already removed. They cost more, the birds feed faster, and there is no husk pile. The RSPB calls hearts rich in oil and protein and popular with tits, finches and sparrows.

Hearts and black sunflower are seeds. Under the current advice they are for 1 November to 30 April, not for May to October.

Mixes

The BTO says mixes vary a lot. Cheap ones are often mostly cereal. Those larger grains suit sparrows and pigeons. Better mixes have less cereal and suit finches and buntings. Some add suet pellets, fruit or mealworm pieces. The RSPB’s short version is that a mix can attract robins, tits, finches and sparrows.

A mix is still seed, so the same May-to-October pause applies. Wheat and maize in a cheap mix are also the scraps pigeons and rats clear up if you spill them. See squirrels, pigeons and rats.

Nyjer

A tiny black seed, oil-rich, needing a fine-port feeder. The RSPB names greenfinches, goldfinches, siskins and redpolls. The BTO says goldfinches were the first enthusiasts, and that some now prefer hearts unless the other feeders are crowded. Seasonal rule: it is a seed, so November to April.

Peanuts

High in oil and protein. The BTO says they have been used for decades, and that they can carry aflatoxin, so buy a reputable brand, reject mould, and do not store a large bag in the warm. The RSPB says mesh only. The RSPB shop’s buying guide, which we did not use for prices, has argued that peanuts are a poor match for European birds and pointed people at suet pellets instead. The conservation advice on the main RSPB site still lists peanuts as a cold-season food. Follow that seasonal rule if you use them: November to April, mesh feeder, eaten in one or two days.

Suet

Fat, in balls, cakes or pellets. The RSPB says it can be fed all year, and lists a wide set of birds, including blackbirds and robins that will not cling to a seed tube. In the warm months it is one of the two foods they still want you to offer, in small amounts, and it should be eaten within seven days. Hot sun softens homemade fat. A product formulated for summer is the maker’s claim; read that label. We have not compared fat contents.

Mealworms

The BTO notes they are beetle larvae, usually the yellow mealworm, not worms. Robins, blackbirds and wrens take live food readily. The RSPB says soak dried mealworms for nestlings, offer small amounts, and clear anything scattered by dusk so hedgehogs do not get them. They can be offered all year. The RSPB also says animal protein such as mealworms helps chick survival, which is why the summer pause does not include them.

A simple pairing

For a first feeder in the cold months, sunflower hearts in a hanging tube match the birds most gardens already have. Add a suet cage if you want blackbirds and robins that do not use the tube. Add nyjer only if goldfinches ignore the hearts. From May, take the seed and the peanuts in, and keep a little suet and a few mealworms if you are still feeding.

Subscriptions from bird-food companies are not described here. We have not opened a subscription page, and joining an affiliate programme is a separate step that has not been taken.

Which food is cheapest per kilo?

We do not have a checked price. A figure without a pack size and a date would be a guess.

Are sunflower hearts better than a mix?

They suit tits and finches and leave no husks. A cereal-heavy mix suits sparrows and pigeons more, which you may not want. “Better” depends on which birds you are trying to feed.

Can I feed suet in August?

Yes, in small amounts, if it is not melting into a rancid lump. The RSPB says suet and mealworms can continue from May to October, and that hot weather is when homemade fat is best avoided.