Why Our Bird Food is the Best Choice for your Garden Birds
Not All Bird Food is Equal—Here’s Why Ours Stands Above the Rest
These days, bird food is sold everywhere—from garden centres to discount stores and online marketplaces. The packaging may look appealing, but have you ever stopped to consider what’s actually inside the bag?
Many bird foods on the market contain cheap fillers, low-nutrition grains, and even ingredients that offer little to no benefit for birds. Some can even be harmful. At Ark Wildlife, we take bird nutrition seriously, and we hold ourselves to the highest possible standards—because what you feed your garden birds matters.
The Highest Standards in Bird Nutrition
Our founder, Sean McMenemy is the Food Standards Officer for the Birdcare Standards Association (BSA), we therefore played a leading role in setting the gold standard for wild bird food in the UK. Our expertise in avian nutrition ensures that every mix we create is:
✔ Nutritionally Balanced – Designed to provide real benefits to garden birds, not just bulked out with cheap fillers
✔ Scientifically Formulated – Developed to meet and exceed the industry’s highest standards
✔ Species-Specific – Tailored to the different dietary needs of a variety of garden birds
✔ 100% Safe – Free from harmful or nutritionally void ingredients still found in many commercial bird foods
What Goes Into Our Bird Food?
We follow a strict classification system to ensure that every mix contains only the best ingredients in the right proportions. Here’s how we do it:
✔ Premium Ingredients – Minimum 20%
These are the most nutritious and beneficial ingredients for garden birds, packed with essential proteins, fats, and energy. Every Ark Wildlife mix contains at least 20% of these high-value foods:
- Sunflower Hearts & Black Sunflower Seeds – High-energy, easy to eat, and loved by most birds
- Peanut Granules – A safe and nutritious alternative to whole peanuts
- Suet Pellets & Niger Seed – Energy-rich foods essential for small birds and winter feeding
- High-Protein Soft Foods – Perfect for insect-eating species
✔ Quality Grains & Seeds – Up to 80%
These provide valuable energy and variety, but never at the expense of premium ingredients:
- Millet, Cut Maize, Pinhead Oatmeal – Great for small seed-eaters like finches and sparrows
- Dari, Safflower, Hempseed – Nutritious alternatives to common fillers
✔ Supplementary Ingredients – Up to 15%
Certain birds, especially softbill species like robins and blackbirds, benefit from additional variety in their diet, including:
- Dried Fruits & Berries – Elderberries, juniper, mountain ash, and rosehips
- Dried Insects & Crustaceans – Mealworms, crickets, and gammarus for protein
- Specialty Seeds – Canary seed, linseed, mawseed, and buckwheat for dietary balance
✔ Essential Minerals – Maximum 2%
A small percentage of oyster shell grit and probiotics support digestion and overall health.
What You’ll NEVER Find in Our Bird Food
Unlike some brands, we refuse to include cheap fillers or harmful ingredients. Every Ark Wildlife mix is 100% free from:
❌ Whole Peanuts in Mixes – A choking hazard, especially for fledglings
❌ Biscuit, Dried Pellets & Extruded Feeds – Highly processed and nutritionally poor
❌ Lentils, Pulses & Split Peas – Often left uneaten, leading to waste
❌ Whole Maize & Barley – Large, tough grains unsuitable for small birds
❌ Salted, Seasoned, or Artificially Treated Ingredients – Birds don’t need them, and they can be harmful
Unfortunately, many big-brand bird foods still contain these low-quality or even dangerous ingredients.
Why Our Bird Food is a Cut Above the Rest
Many ‘bird care’ brands are owned by large corporations or investment groups with no real knowledge or passion for wildlife. Their focus is profit, not quality.
At Ark Wildlife, we are proud to be different. Our expert-led formulations ensure that every bag you buy:
✅ Provides the best possible nutrition to keep your birds healthy and thriving
✅ Attracts a greater variety of species to your garden
✅ Complies with and exceeds industry standards, backed by the BSA
✅ Contains only safe, high-quality ingredients—never cheap fillers
When you choose Ark Wildlife, you’re choosing expertise, integrity, and a commitment to bird welfare.
Feed with Confidence
We are proudly transparent about the ingredients we use and the high standards we uphold. That’s why every bag of Ark Wildlife bird food carries the Birdcare Standards Association seal—your guarantee of quality and safety.
By feeding your garden birds the best, you’re not just attracting more wildlife—you’re supporting their long-term health and survival.
Discover more about feeding garden birds the right way with our Bird Feeding Guide.
