Feeding Christmas leftovers to garden birds
Once all the eating, drinking and being merry is over for Christmas Day, what to do with all the food that’s not been eaten? Here we provide some hints and tips for feeding your garden birds the very best of your Christmas leftovers.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year; one of joy, celebration, family and, of course, sharing. We all also know that Christmas comes with its own unique indulgence, a consequence of which is the leftovers we often have once the Christmas meal has arrived at it’s closing point…with a rather large, stuffed belly. Much of these leftovers can be saved for next day, but there’s usually still more to eat, so the question is can these be shared with your garden birds?
It turns out that a lot of what you eat at the Christmas dinner table can be handed over to your garden birds, but there’s a caveat: not all of it can be shared. Here’s our Christmas “a leftover carte” menu for your birds.


Roast potatoes
Roast potatoes are eaten by the vast majority of birds. Make sure you open them up before “serving”.


Cold brussel sprouts and carrots
Place enough outside for just a single day to attract Starlings.


Cheese
A mild variety of low-salt hard cheese is a firm favourite among Robins and Blackbirds.


Fruit
Old fruit such as apples and pears can be sliced, diced and put out to attract Starlings.


Stale cake and mince pies
In the unlikely event there’s a spare mince pie or two, give them to your birds.
Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas food for garden birds
Be aware, it is possible through kindness to cause harm. With the common struggle against potentially low temperatures in the lead up to and throughout winter, your garden birds’ immunity can easily hit a low point. Bacterial infections in certain foods such as turkey fat can be detrimental, and can even lead to death. On the flipside, there are certain Christmas classics, endorsed by the RSPB, that are perfectly acceptable to put out for your garden birds (hint: see the menu above).
#1 Don’t: Never feed fat from the roasting tin. It isn’t a supplement for suet, and has the potential to rot and go bad very quickly; it can lead to severe illness and even death for your garden birds that consume it.
#2 Don’t: Never put out overly-salty food. It can cause severe harm to a bird’s immune system.
#1 Do: feed from the menu above!
Thank you for this important info
We will be sure to put out our leftovers that you have identified
Merry Christmas to all keep sending the great info
Merry Christmas I love this website not only for the excellent quality of goods but the information we get on birds.
I’m a metal health nurse and have saved all the information to a folder I intend to print out and display on the ward wall, it is known that people with mental health issues benefit from nature.
Please be aware that dried fruit is poisonous to cats, therefore mince pies are best put on the bird table and not the ground.
Very helpful advice. especially as we have far too many starlings visit our garden !!
one question is chocolate cake alright for birds ?
Thanks for the tips on what to give birds.
Sprout eating starlings! That’s a new one!
Happy new year.
I much appreciate the list of what leftovers the birds can eat, so thank you very much. I was particularly interested in the cold sprouts and carrots that the starlings will eat: it does seem a shame to throw them in the bin, but now I know just what to do with them!
They can have my sprouts, please!!
Thanks for the reminder.the robin made a meal of the reindeer food my grandchildren put out last night. Such a beautiful sight on a cold Xmas morning.
I put some cranberry fat balls & suet pellets on the ground for them earlier. A merry Christmas to all our feathered friends & all of you
Thank you for the information on the left over food. I was wary about stuffing but broke it up into crumbs…just a small amount…which was eaten, is that OK? Regarding the cheese…..blackbirds, robins and starlings all love it…..so does the stray cat! The starlings need to be be quick off the mark.
great information, left over sprouts have been greatly appreciated by the local starlings