RSPB reveals fatal reason why you should take down bird feeders this summer
Concerns are growing about the health of greenfinch and starling populations in the UK as new data from the RSPB’s long-running Big Garden Birdwatch reveals significant long-term declines.
The popular starling suffered a further decline of 3.0% in this year’s survey, reaching record low numbers for the second year in a row. The RSPB highlights an alarming 85.1% decline in population since the citizen science scheme began in 1979.
While green finches have seen a modest increase in numbers this year, averaging 2.3%, their total numbers remain two-thirds below those recorded in 1979, underscoring ongoing concerns for the species.
RSPB scientists say songbirds are among the species at risk for diseases that can be spread from bird feeders, and are urging households to make adjustments to when, how and what food they provide.
Beccy Speight, the charity’s chief executive, said: “We’re not asking people to stop feeding, we’re just asking them to be fed in a way that protects the long-term health of the birds.”
This year, more than 650,000 people took part in birding, which involves counting birds for an hour in the garden or local green space on the last weekend in January.
The results could help conservationists gauge how the country’s bird life is faring.
The house sparrow maintained its first place this year, while the blue tit took the second place this year, followed by the starling in third place, the wood pigeon in fourth place and the blackbird in fifth place.
The RSPB said the rise of starlings from fourth to third in the rankings of the most common species in 2026 was largely due to fewer wood pigeons being reported compared to last year.
The charismatic birds are found all over the UK; Their numbers increase during the winter months when more species arrive from Northern Europe and large numbers of birds can be seen performing aerial displays known as “murmurations”.
Before 2000, starlings were the most numerous species recorded on the Big Garden Birdwatch.
However, they are now on the “red list” due to concerns about their population decline.
The RSPB said there was no evidence as to what might be causing the decline, but a drop in the survival rate of chicks in their first winter may have contributed.
Meanwhile, populations of green finches, which ranked 18th, were particularly devastated by the disease trichomoniasis, which spreads more easily when birds gather around feeders in summer and autumn.
The songbird is also on the conservation “red list”; Other studies across the UK show more than two million birds have been lost since the mid-1990s.
Ms Speight said: “Feeding birds is something millions of us love and value, but science shows us that birds such as the greenfinch are being affected by the spread of disease at feeders.
“By making small changes together we can ensure garden nutrition continues to be a positive force for nature.”
The charity’s experts said households should feed birds seasonally, and what is fed to feeders should be adjusted in the summer and autumn months, when the risk of spreading the disease is higher.
This may include a pause on seeds and nuts to prevent too many birds congregating in one place, but small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or tallow are safe to provide year-round.
Other recommendations include cleaning or moving feeders weekly, changing water daily, and retiring flat-surface feeders after studies found the risk of disease spread on flat surfaces, including bird tables, is higher.
When launching the survey in January, the RSPB said bird lovers could expect a bumper year for migratory species following cold and unstable weather across Europe.
The results showed that the number of recorded redwings and voles increased this year, with average numbers increasing by 307% and 70% respectively.
