Press Releases - November/December 2006
Item 11

No. 2006/12/76
December 2006

We spend £200 million a year on wild bird food

The latest figures from the British Trust For Ornithology show that we are now spending an estimated £200 million on wild bird food and bird feeders. What does this mean for the birds?

The BTO estimates we now spend £200 million on feeding the birds in our gardens each year. For many years the importance of gardens for wildlife was overlooked and gardens were regarded as having little conservation value. With the intensification of agriculture, urbanisation and pollution all having a profound effect on the countryside, the value of gardens for wildlife has been recognised. The bird food suppliers have also developed a wide range of bird food for different birds; gone are the ‘one seed mix feeds all’ days. This has helped birds enormously. As recently as 1987 only 18 species of birds had been recorded feeding on supplementary food in our gardens, the species count now stands at 130. (The results are taken from the Garden Bird Feeding Survey. See Notes to Editors).

Paul Stancliffe, Promotions Officer at the British Trust For Ornithology, said, “This is not just an isolated few putting out kitchen scraps for the birds in their gardens, this is a lot of people putting out a lot of food and, more importantly, the right sorts of food. Not only does it bring us closer to wildlife, it really is making a difference to our wild birds.”

The Goldfinch was in long-term decline but with the introduction of sunflower hearts and nyjer seed to bird feeders, the population has been steadily increasing. In 2006 it was recorded feeding in the highest number of gardens ever. Farmland birds, such as Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers, which have been hit by the change to autumn sowing, removing winter stubbles and a valuable source of seeds, move into gardens in the winter and early spring to take advantage of garden bird feeders. Not only is feeding the birds big business, it is proving to be important for the birds too.

If you want to know more about feeding the birds in your garden, you can obtain a free leaflet from the BTO by phoning 01842 750050, by writing to BTO/GBW, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, or by e-mailing

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Notes to Editors

1. The Garden Bird Feeding Survey. This is a special winter-only project, which has been running since 1970. Each winter, 250 gardeners record birds that visit feeders during October to March. The gardens are chosen by the project organiser according to their location and type and are recruited from BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch. The results of the project are published annually in BTONews. The most recent results can be viewed as a PDF by visiting www.bto.org/survey/gbfs.htm

2. The £200 million equates to 48,000 tonnes of bird food, which includes, 16,000 tonnes of peanuts, 10,000 tonnes of sunflower hearts, 20,000 tonnes of black sunflower seeds and 2,000 tonnes of fat products.

3. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is the only nationwide survey of garden birds to run weekly throughout the year, providing important information on how birds use gardens, and how this use changes over time. Currently, some 16,500 people take part in the project. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is funded by participants’ contributions and supported by CJ WildBird Foods Ltd and is the largest year round survey of garden birds anywhere in the world. For more information see www.bto.org/gbw

4. CJ WildBird Foods is Europe’s leading supplier of bird food and bird feeding products. CJ WildBird Foods has been responsible for a number of significant developments within the bird food and feeding industry, including the introduction of black sunflower seeds to the UK as a major new bird food and the development of specialist seed mixes for use in tubular feeders. The company has also been supporting research into the changing fortunes of garden bird populations, most notably through the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch.

5. Images of garden birds are freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact images@bto.org to request an electronic version. Please quote reference number 2006/12/76

6. Bird Information. For lots of facts and figures about garden birds go to www.bto.org/birdfacts

7. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information please contact:

Paul Stancliffe on 01842 750050 or e-mail: (during office hours)

Mike Toms on 01842 750050 or e-mail: (during office hours)