When should you switch to high-energy food?

When should you switch to high-energy food?

Higher calorie food is really important during autumn and winter when our garden birds need considerably more energy to survive. Providing this type of food ensures they receive plenty of energy in a relatively small amount of food.

What counts as high-calorie bird food?

Good examples include:

Suet and other high-fat foods – among the best sources of concentrated energy.

Shop Suet Pellets

 Shop Fat Balls

Sunflower hearts – rich in oil and easy for many small birds to eat.

 Shop Sunflower Hearts

Peanuts – high in fat and protein, providing substantial energy.

Shop Peanuts

Nyjer seed – particularly energy-rich for smaller seed-eating birds such as finches.

Shop Nyjer Seeds

Mealworms – provide protein and fat and are especially useful for insect-eating species.

Shop Mealworms

High-energy seed blends containing oil-rich seeds and grains.

Shop Seed Blends

Why is it so important in autumn and winter?

 Birds use more energy to keep warm
Small birds have a very high metabolic rate and lose body heat quickly. During cold weather they need to consume considerably more energy simply to maintain their body temperature.

Natural food becomes harder to find
As autumn progresses, insects become scarce, plants stop producing seeds and berries can become depleted. A reliable garden food source can therefore make a significant difference.

Shorter days mean less feeding time
Birds have fewer daylight hours in which to find food. Energy-rich foods allow them to obtain more calories during the limited feeding period.

 Fat provides concentrated energy
Fat contains roughly twice as much energy per gram as protein or carbohydrate. This makes high-fat foods particularly valuable when birds need to pack in calories quickly.

 It helps birds survive cold nights
Birds can lose a substantial amount of body energy overnight simply staying warm. Feeding well before dusk can help them build the energy reserves needed to get through a cold night.

As temperatures fall, birds need more energy to stay warm. Offering high-energy foods such as suet, sunflower hearts and peanuts gives garden birds a concentrated source of calories when natural food becomes harder to find and daylight hours are shorter.