Blog
Common bird species and their favorite food
Every bird species has its own preferences. Some prefer to eat from the ground, others hop into the bird feeder. One species loves grains, the next prefers to peck at raisins. Orientate yourself to the natural feeding habits of your garden guests – then your feeding station will quickly become a popular meeting place for many species. The table shows common garden birds in Germany with the food they like best:
| Bird species | Suitable bird food |
|---|---|
| House sparrow (sparrow) | Grain food (sunflower seeds, millet, wheat, etc.), hemp seeds, peanuts (chopped), fat food. (Typical grain eaters – eat almost all grains). |
| Great tit & blue tit | Varied: sunflower seeds (preferably shelled), broken peanuts, fat food (tit dumplings, fat blocks), hemp seeds. Dried mealworms are also accepted. (Omnivores – especially grains in winter). |
| Robins | Soft food: oat flakes, raisins, dried berries, bran, small peeled sunflower seeds, mealworms. Fruit (e.g. pieces of apple) and oat flakes containing fat in winter. (Ground feeders, prefer soft food). |
| Blackbird (black thrush) | Soft and fruity food: apple pieces, berries, raisins, oat flakes (possibly in oil), dried insects. Sometimes eats oats, wheat or peanut pieces, as well as worms/snails in nature. (Soft food eater, picks at the ground). |
| Starling | Mixed, but prefers soft food: insects (earthworms, larvae) of course, fruit & berries, raisins, oat flakes at the feeding place. Also takes grains and peanuts in small quantities. (Soft food eater, omnivore in winter). |
| Greenfinch | Grain food: sunflower seeds (especially shelled), various seeds (hemp, linseed, weed seeds), broken peanuts. Likes to eat together with sparrows. (Grain eaters with strong beaks). |
| Chaffinch | Grain mixture of sunflowers, hemp, peanut pieces, beechnuts, etc.. Picks at the ground. In fall/winter also fruit scraps. (Grain-eater, often searches for seeds on the ground). |
| Goldfinch (goldfinch) | Fine seeds: loves thistle seed, niger seed, linseed, hemp. Also takes small sunflower seeds. (Special granivore with thin pointed beak for fine seeds). |
| House sparrow/field sparrow | (See sparrow above) Grains of all kinds, millet, oats, hemp, peanuts, plus some fatty food in winter. (Typical granivores – often in groups at the feeder). |
| Nuthatch | Sunflower seeds (cleverly cracks shells), peanuts, hazelnuts; also eats fatty foods and mealworms. Hides excess grains in bark cracks. (Omnivorous, eats all types of food). |
| Great spotted woodpecker | Prefers fat food (fat balls, fat blocks), also peanuts and sunflower seeds. Likes to feed on hanging food cakes or pillars. Mealworms are also welcome. (Omnivorous, but likes to eat fat and nuts). |
| Dunnock | Soft, fine food: small oat flakes, bran, tiny seeds (poppy seeds), raisins, insects. Feed on the ground or bottom tray. (Soft food eater, very shy – often foraging under bushes). |
| Wren | Prefers animal food: small insects, spiders, larvae. Rarely at the feeding site, at most fine oat flakes, unsalted fat porridge or mini mealworms. (Pure insectivore, hardly ever comes to the feeder). |
(Note: Of course there are more species – here we have included the most common garden birds. If you offer special food (e.g. Niger seeds for goldfinches or mealworms), rarer guests may also appear. Try out what is best accepted in your garden).
Sparrows (sparrows) are granivores and prefer to eat seeds and grains. They feel particularly at home in a group at a well-stocked feeding station with seeds.
As the table shows, it is worth setting up different feeders in the garden. For example, a classic bird feeder or feeder with a mixture of seeds for tits, finches and sparrows – and soft food on the ground or on a flat plate for blackbirds and robins. This way, both the “tree eaters” and the “ground peckers” get their money’s worth. Simply observe which bird species show up and adjust the offer accordingly. Over time, you will get a feel for which bird food suits which bird species.