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The evidence is on your side

Please Don't Stop Feeding Birds

Greenfinch numbers are showing early signs of recovery. Millions of filled feeders across the UK are making a difference. The science doesn't ask us to stop — it asks us to do it a little smarter.

Feed On. Just Feed Right.
✔ 0%

Tube feeders: zero infections found

In the RSPB's own study, zero out of 79 tests for Trichomonosis on hanging tube feeders came back positive. Bird tables and baths were the risk — not your feeder.

↑ +12%

Greenfinch numbers are recovering

BTO data shows a 12% rise in the Greenfinch population index from its 2021 lowest point. Three years of RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch data echo the same cautious optimism.

↓ −65%

Natural food for birds is disappearing

UK flying insects have fallen by up to 65% in 20 years. Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change are stripping away the food birds depend on. Your garden feeder is filling a gap that nature can no longer close alone.

✖

Feeders are not the problem

We've pulled this data from the RSPB's own study — the same document used as the basis for their recent announcement. You can download a copy from the RSPB's own repository here.

Hanging feeders
0%
0 of 79 tests positive
Feeding trays
23%
3 of 13 tests positive
Bird baths
23%
6 of 26 tests positive

The message isn't "stop feeding" — it's "stop using flat surfaces, and keep things clean". Tube feeders tested negative in every single sample.

✖

Greenfinch numbers are in freefall

We've pulled out the below data from the RSPB's study which was used as a basis for their recent announcement.

"Back when the Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979 Greenfinches were at number seven in the top ten birds seen. This year they were down to number 18." — RSPB, 2026

Comparing to 1979 is an unusual choice. The BTO's data — and the RSPB's own survey — both point to a more recent, and more encouraging, picture.

With Greenfinch numbers on the rise, their decision to focus on them is an interesting choice. Clearly feeding birds must be working for numbers to see such a significant increase in recent years.

BTO findings

According to data from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Greenfinch population numbers are improving from their lowest point:

Population lowest point
2021
Down 76% from 2005 peak
Recovery since lowest
+12%
Index 33.8 → 38.0 (2025)
From 1994 baseline
−66%
Index 100 → 33.8 (2021)

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch findings

These figures are supported by the RSPB's own Big Garden Birdwatch, which shows a 2.3% increase in mean Greenfinch count between 2025 and 2026, and a rising share of gardens recording the species.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 results showing Greenfinch improvement

You can download this data for yourself here from he RSPB website here. Or directly download the zip file with all of the data here, also directly from the RPSB website.

✖

Birds can find enough food without our help

They could — once. The natural food chain that UK garden birds have depended on for centuries is being systematically dismantled. Insects, seeds and berries that once sustained garden bird populations are all in significant decline.

The insect collapse

Insects are the foundation of the garden bird food chain. They're essential for chick-rearing, even for largely seed-eating species and the scale of their decline is alarming:

UK flying insects lost
−60%
Over 20 years (Buglife / Kent WT)
Insects lost in England
−65%
England saw worst decline (Buglife / Kent WT)
Rate of further decline
−63%
Since 2021 alone (Bugs Matter)

What's causing it?

Three interconnected pressures are removing natural food from the landscape:

Pesticides
Pesticides are used in 32% of UK gardens. Research found gardens using any pesticide have 12% fewer house sparrows — and 39% fewer where slug pellets are used. Intensive farming pesticides are the single biggest driver of farmland bird declines across Europe.
Habitat loss
Nearly half of UK front gardens have been paved over. The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s. Hedgerows — critical bird habitat and food source — continue to be removed. Urban birds are losing both nesting sites and foraging ground simultaneously.
Climate change
Warmer springs are shifting insect emergence earlier in the year, creating a mismatch with bird breeding cycles. Chicks hatch when peak insect availability has already passed. This "phenological mismatch" is increasingly affecting survival rates for insect-dependent species.

Should you stop feeding birds in May?

Take a minute to look around your garden and local farmland. Plants are growing — but almost nothing is producing food yet. Add collapsing insect numbers, pesticide-soaked farmland, and the near-total absence of natural food sources in urban areas, and the picture becomes clear.

We've confirmed this to be true in gardens and farmland around us and we'd encourage you to do the same. See for yourself.

Please don't stop feeding birds between May and October. Birds and their young need your support more than ever.

Why supplementary feeding works

With natural food sources under sustained pressure, garden feeders are no longer a luxury — they're a critical part of the support network keeping urban bird populations viable. The evidence is clear:

UK gardens
22M
A collective refuge — if we use them wisely
UK birds lost in 50 years
38M
RSPB
UK bird population drop
−7%
Gov.uk Statistics

The UK's 22 million gardens, collectively managed by people like you, represent one of the most significant wildlife habitats in the country. Used well — with clean feeders, quality food, and water — they can genuinely offset what the wider landscape is losing.

For more information on UK gardens and what the ymean for nature, see the RHS State of Gardening Report 2025.

There's more to this story.

We read the full 234-page RSPB report. Here are the headlines they didn't make.

Get the full facts →
+77%
Higher survival with feeders Birds with access to supplementary food have a much higher survival rate.
Zero
Studies support stopping feeding The RSPB found zero published studies supporting feeder removal as disease prevention.
9
Species growing because of feeders Goldfinches, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Siskins. Nine UK species directly linked to garden feeding.
282K
Tonnes nobody is talking about Game bird feeders feed a higher annual tonnage with zero hygiene oversight.
Disease spread without garden feeding Trichomonosis spread across Europe even in countries where summer garden feeding is minimal or absent.
+15%
Breeding success where feeding continues More fledglings surviving to adulthood. BTO data shows June — not summer — is when chicks depend on feeders most.

What you can do today

Feed Right.
Feed Safe.

Small changes to how you feed make a big difference. Here's what the evidence actually recommends.

Full safe feeding guide → Get the full facts →
  • ✔ Use hanging tube feeders (without trays to catch seeds)
  • ✔ Clean feeders thoroughly ideally once a week
  • ✔ Move feeders to a new spot after every clean
  • ✔ Use high quality, low-waste food birds actually eat
  • ✔ Put out only what birds eat in a day or two
  • ✔ Bird tables: hang feeders from them, don't feed on them
  • ✔ Change bird bath water daily, clean the bath weekly
  • ✔ Stop feeding for 2 weeks if you see signs of disease