Research revealed half of those who have bird feeders rarely fill them with food, leaving birds such as Starlings, Swallows and Blue Tits to fend for themselves.

The research, which was carried out among 2,000 homeowners, also revealed more than one in six find the sound of birdsong ‘annoying’.

Yesterday a spokesman for Wilkinson Pet Range, which commissioned the report, said: ”These stats are alarming as providing local birds and wildlife with supplementary food encourages nature to thrive, it is also rewarding to share your environment and marvel at the abundance of wildlife there actually is”.

The study found the majority of those with bird feeders harbour good intentions, but around one in five neglect them to the extent they only put seeds in it once a year.

The nation’s love of cats is another barrier to a full belly for our birds, with one in five not putting out bird food for fear their pets will attack.

It also emerged most Brits are unsure what to serve up for birds, with nearly half of those polled wrongly assuming food like potatoes or grated cheese is harmful.

Close to half of the respondents thought it was ok to give milk to a bird, which is potentially lethal to them.

And more than three-quarters were unaware a small bird needs to eat at least 30-40 per cent of its own weight in food every day to survive.

Unfortunately, even when people are ready and willing to feed the birds in their garden, one in five of them regularly forget to do so.

And it’s also thirsty work for our feathered friends with 75 per cent of those polled not owning a bird bath.

One in five said they had no interest in buying one, while almost ten per cent said they ‘look naff’.

The study also revealed one fifth of people don’t watch – or even notice – birds in their day to day life.

But a chirpy six out of ten admitted they found bird noise relaxing.

When it comes to identifying particular breeds an eagle-eyed six out of ten were confident they could spot a Blackbird while over half would recognise a Magpie or Robin.

Nearly half of those surveyed knew what a Blue Tit, Raven, House Sparrow or Wood Pigeon looked like.

But less than a fifth of people could spot a Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Swift, House Martin or Skylark.

Bill Oddie, whose Bird Food Recipes can be found in Wilkinson stores, added: ‘’It’s a shame that people don’t have a greater knowledge of birds as they are an asset to British wildlife.

‘’Not only is feeding birds in the garden beneficial to the birds themselves it’s also nice for homeowners to get to know the different breeds that visit their garden. It’s easy to think of wildlife belonging in wild places. In the countryside, the woods and parklands, but an amazing amount of wildlife has the potential to flourish in our own gardens.

“The most productive and least threatened habitat in Britain is gardens,” explains Bill Oddie. “We are finding more birds, insects and wildlife creeping into towns and cities, and every garden, great or small, has the potential to be a nature reserve.”

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