Who's at my feeder?

Bird food

Peanuts for birds

Jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees love peanuts. Buy unsalted, tested nuts and offer them in a mesh feeder, not loose.

  • 31 of 98common feeder birds eat it (Project FeederWatch)
Blue Jay – one of the birds that eat peanuts for birds
Photo Judy Gallagher / iNaturalist, CC BY

UK advice since 2026: the RSPB and BTO recommend pausing seed and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October to slow trichomonosis in finches; mealworms, fat balls and suet in small amounts are fine. Sources: RSPB, BTO.

Who eats it

Which birds eat peanuts for birds?

Feeder birds that Project FeederWatch lists for this food – shown here with a species guide where we have one.

  1. Black-capped Chickadee at a feeder

    Black-capped Chickadee

  2. Black-crested Titmouse at a feeder

    Black-crested Titmouse

  3. Blue Jay at a feeder

    Blue Jay

  4. Boreal Chickadee at a feeder

    Boreal Chickadee

  5. Brown-headed Nuthatch at a feeder

    Brown-headed Nuthatch

  6. Bushtit at a feeder

    Bushtit

  7. California Scrub-Jay at a feeder

    California Scrub-Jay

  8. Canada Jay at a feeder

    Canada Jay

  9. Carolina Chickadee at a feeder

    Carolina Chickadee

  10. Chestnut-backed Chickadee at a feeder

    Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  11. Common Grackle at a feeder

    Common Grackle

  12. Downy Woodpecker at a feeder

    Downy Woodpecker

The essentials

What to know

  • Peanuts are legumes (Arachis hypogaea) that grow underground; offer shelled or in-shell. Jays grab several at once; smaller birds (chickadees, nuthatches, titmice) do better with shelled. (Project FeederWatch)
  • Offer raw or roasted peanuts; avoid salted, coated or flavored peanuts. Watch for mold and dispose of moldy peanut hearts immediately. (Project FeederWatch)
  • Peanut hearts attract chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and jays; high in energy and protein but need mold monitoring. (Project FeederWatch)
  • Mixtures of peanuts, nuts and dried fruit attract woodpeckers, nuthatches and titmice; offer peanuts in a separate feeder. (Audubon)
  • Aflatoxins are produced by Aspergillus molds; FDA may consider peanuts/peanut products with total aflatoxins above 20 ppb adulterated (human food, CPG 570.375). (FDA)
  • UK study: 10% of peanut samples at point of sale exceeded the 20 µg/kg aflatoxin B1 limit; branded vs unbranded made no significant difference; precautionary best practice recommended. (discovery.ucl.ac.uk)
  • RSPB: buy peanuts guaranteed aflatoxin-free from a reputable supplier; poor-quality peanuts may contain lethal aflatoxin. (RSPB)

Storage

Storage and freshness

  • Store cool and dry, buy in small quantities. (BTO)
  • Damp food grows mold that can be fatal; metal can, cool, dry. (Audubon)

Squirrels

Squirrels

  • In-shell peanuts attract squirrels, jays and other wildlife; for squirrel-free feeding use baffles/pole placement. (Audubon)

Mistakes

Common mistakes

Spring

Breeding season

  • RSPB: never offer loose peanuts in the breeding season (choking risk for chicks); never use mesh bags. (RSPB)
  • BTO: wire mesh feeders so birds cannot carry whole peanuts away. (BTO)
  • UK 2026: peanuts paused entirely 1 May–31 Oct (trichomonosis); RSPB shop page states no peanuts May–October. (RSPB)
  • RSPB shop: rejects any peanuts containing detectable aflatoxin. (RSPB)

What to buy

Peanuts for birds to buy

10 lbWagner's 57055 Shelled Peanut Piecesshelled pieces11 lbKaytee Shelled Peanutsshelled5 lbWild Delight Inshell Peanutsin-shell (jays, squirrels)5 lbPennington Classic Shelled Peanuts5 lbCole's Raw Shelled Peanutsraw, shelled5 lbPennington Classic In-Shell Peanuts10 lbWild Delight Shelled Peanutsseveral sizesRSPB Peanuts for Wild Birds

Shop links may earn us a commission. The price stays the same for you. Prices as seen on 30 Sep 2026; Amazon prices are not shown.

Questions

Peanuts for birds: questions

Which birds eat peanuts?

Jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice take whole peanuts; peanut hearts and pieces are eaten by even more species.

What is aflatoxin?

A toxin produced by moulds on peanuts that can kill birds. Buy peanuts sold for birds by a reputable supplier – UK sellers state aflatoxin testing; many US listings don't mention it.

Can I feed peanuts in spring?

In the UK, not loose and – since 2026 – not at all from May to October. In the US, offer them in a mesh feeder so chicks can't choke on whole nuts.

More bird food

Other feeding guides