8 Foods You Should Never Feed Garden Birds
Avoid these harmful feeding mistakes.
By Wanda Sachs, Published: Dec 8, 2025
"Winter is prime bird-feeding season. As natural food for backyard birds grows scarcer, many people come to the rescue by leaving out a few tempting treats.
"Because birds can — and will — eat whatever they can get, it’s up to us to make sure we don’t offer them anything that might harm them.
"Before you panic and throw a guilt-ridden glance at your garden feeder, a few words of reassurance: most of the items we’re used to giving to birds are perfectly safe. This includes traditional bird foods available at pet supply shops, such as seed mixes, sunflower hearts and suet balls, but also some select kitchen staples.
" 'There are also useful and healthy additions to put out which most households would already have — a good example being apples,' says Lucy Taylor from Vine House Farm Bird Foods. This is great treat for many backyard birds over the winter months.
"The real red flag is your own food scraps. 'Most of the food types we keep in our homes for our own consumption are not suitable for garden birds, and indeed, some can be very harmful to them,' Lucy reveals. To keep visiting birds safe this season, here are the items you should never offer."
Learn more:
https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/outdoors/a69610598/food-never-to-offer-birds/
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