Top 10 Garden Birds
Our feathered friends bring colour and life to the garden. Look out for some of these common visitors – you can encourage them by offering the right food.
Regular feeding and a garden of varied habitats will attract the widest range of birds
Blackbird
Female blackbirds are in fact brown, though the males live up to the name. One of our most common birds, it has a beautiful, soft song.
Eats: insects, worms, berries.
House sparrow
The sparrow is an opportunistic bird, existing in harmony with man and taking advantage of his waste. Numbers have declined in recent years.
Eats: seeds and scraps.
Greenfinch
Noisy and charismatic, these colourful birds are a welcome garden visitor, although they can be somewhat boisterous
at the bird table!
Eats: seeds and insects.
Dunnock
Often seen near hedges, brambles and other well-vegetated areas, the dunnock is a quiet, seemingly nervous bird.
It is mainly ground feeding.
Eats: insects, worms and seeds.
Blue tit
Widespread and easy to recognise, the beautiful blue tit is readily attracted to the garden through regular bird feeding.
Eats: insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts.
Robin
Britain’s best-loved bird and a particular favourite as we near Christmas. The cute-looking birds are surprisingly territorial.
Eats: worms, seeds, fruits and insects.
Collared dove
Easily identified by its black neck collar and light grey plumage.
The ground-feeding birds produce a soft, repetitive cooing sound.
Eats: seeds and grain.
Song thrush
Now in serious decline, the song thrush chirps a lovely melody. Enjoys feasting on snails, which it cracks open by smashing against a stone.
Eats: worms, snails and fruit.
Chaffinch
A colourful garden visitor, the chaffinch prefers to feed at ground level, often hopping about beneath a bird table.
It has a loud, varied call.
Eats: insects and seeds.
Starling
Looking a bit like a blackbird at first glance, starlings have hints of purple and green to their wings. Bold and confident birds, they can be quite noisy!
Eats: insects and fruit.