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Apples and pears are the best fruit for garden birds, followed by soft fruit, grapes (halved) and soaked sultanas or raisins. Blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, blackcaps and winter redwings and fieldfares love them. Avoid anything mouldy, salted, sugared or cooked in syrup, keep dried fruit away from dogs, and don’t let fruit sit until it rots.
- Best: apples, pears, windfalls.
- Good: berries, halved grapes, soaked sultanas and raisins, banana.
- Avoid: mouldy, sugared, syrup-coated or salted fruit; avocado.
- Fans: blackbirds, song and mistle thrushes, redwings, fieldfares, starlings, blackcaps, robins.
- Serve: on the ground or a raised dish; clear leftovers.
Safe fruit, at a glance
| Fruit | Safe? | How to serve |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | Yes | Halve or quarter; windfalls are ideal. Pips in small amounts are not a concern for birds. |
| Pears | Yes | Halve, soft or bruised is fine — not mouldy. |
| Grapes | Yes | Halve so smaller birds can manage them. |
| Sultanas and raisins | Yes | Soak in water for an hour or so first. Never where dogs can reach. |
| Blackberries, raspberries, currants | Yes | Whole, or leave on the bush. |
| Banana | Yes, in moderation | Small slices; not the best food but harmless. |
| Plums and cherries | Yes (flesh) | Halve and remove stones. |
| Citrus | Not useful | Most garden birds ignore it. |
| Avocado | No | Toxic to many birds. |
| Candied, syrup or sugared fruit | No | Sticky, high in sugar, attracts wasps. |
Windfall apples: the best free bird food
If you have an apple tree, don’t clear up every windfall. Leave some on the lawn and store sound ones in a cool shed or garage, spaced out so they don’t touch. Then in a hard frost or snow, halve a few and put them out. Fieldfares and redwings will come to gardens they’d never visit otherwise, and blackbirds will squabble over them for days.
Tip: spike a halved apple onto a branch or a dedicated fruit spike. That keeps it off the ground, away from rats, and gives blackcaps and tits a go.
Which birds eat fruit
- Blackbirds: the biggest fruit fans in most gardens.
- Song and mistle thrushes: apples, pears and berries.
- Redwings and fieldfares: winter visitors that rely on fruit in cold weather.
- Starlings: will eat almost any soft fruit.
- Blackcaps: winter birds from the continent love apple and soaked sultanas.
- Robins: take small pieces, especially sultanas.
- Waxwings (in irruption years): apples and berries.
Finches and tits mostly prefer seed and fat, though blue tits will peck at apple.
How to put fruit out
- Cut it: halves or chunks, so birds can get in.
- Choose a spot: open lawn near cover for ground feeders, or a spike or hanging dish for others.
- Little and often: only what’s eaten in a day.
- Clear up: remove leftovers before they rot or attract rats.
- Keep things clean: current RSPB guidance is to clean feeders and dishes weekly and move them regularly.
Dogs: grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants are toxic to dogs even in small amounts. If you have a dog, put fruit on a raised dish or skip dried fruit altogether.
Seasonal note: the RSPB’s 2026 pause covers seed and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October. Fruit left on shrubs and windfalls on the lawn are natural food, and planting berry shrubs is one of the best long-term things you can do.
Plant fruit instead of buying it
The most useful “fruit feeder” is a shrub. Holly, rowan, hawthorn, cotoneaster, pyracantha, crab apple, elder and ivy all fruit through autumn and winter, feeding birds for weeks without any work from you.
Common questions
Can birds eat apple pips?
The small number in a halved apple is not considered a risk to wild birds. You can core apples if you prefer.
Can birds eat rotten fruit?
Soft, bruised and over-ripe fruit is fine. Mouldy fruit isn’t — bin it.
Should I soak sultanas?
Yes. Soaking makes them softer and easier to swallow, and adds moisture.
Does fruit attract wasps?
In late summer and early autumn, yes. Put out smaller amounts and clear leftovers daily until the weather cools.
Related guides
Sources: RSPB garden bird feeding guidance (April 2026 update); BTO Garden BirdWatch; RSPCA and veterinary guidance on grape and raisin toxicity in dogs.
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