It is wonderful to watch wild birds in the garden and before long you will notice that some of our feathered friends get on better with one another, while some seem to squabble and others avoid contact, preferring to feed alone.
Small sociable birds generally get along best when there is plenty of food and space, where there are often disputes between more territorial species.
Birds that get along well
Tits: Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits often share a garden peacefully, especially when there are hanging feeders around. You might see them taking their turns to tuck into sunflower hearts, although when particularly hungry, individual birds can still chase one another away.
House Sparrows: Sociable birds that often feed in groups and gather in hedges. They are generally comfortable around other small garden birds, but can sometimes be a bit pushy at feeders.
Dunnocks: Quiet and unobtrusive birds, they usually forage beneath shrubs and feeders and do their best to avoid confrontation.
Goldfinches: Feed happily in small flocks, especially when there are nyjer seeds or sunflower hearts on the menu.
Long-tailed Tits: Incredibly sociable outside breeding season, they travel in family groups, moving from tree to tree. They will also visit garden feeders.
Birds more likely to squabble
Robins: Fiercely territorial, particularly in autumn and winter, robins will often chase another robin or smaller bird away from its favourite feeding spot.
Blackbirds: Territorial around food on the lawn, particularly when defending feeding areas from other blackbirds.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers: Large and dominant, they will scare away smaller birds by their sheer presence.
How to encourage peaceful feeding
Don’t just put out one feeder. It is far better to have several , spaced apart, rather than all in one area.
Offer a selection of foods, with sunflower hearts for tits and finches, nyjer seed for goldfinches and suitable ground-level food for dunnocks and blackbirds.
Provide dense shrubs and hedges where smaller birds can retreat.
Use multiple feeding points to reduce competition from larger birds such as jackdaws and wood pigeons.