Can Birds Eat Cheese?

If you enjoy feeding birds in the garden and love avoiding waste in the kitchen, then you may be wondering whether birds can eat cheese. It’s certainly a food type that gives many humans great pleasure, but can we share a slice of cheese with our feathered friends too?

range of cheese that birds may be able to eat

Can Birds Eat Cheese Safely?

Birds can eat cheese safely. Cheese is a fantastic source of protein, healthy fats, and other nutrients that can contribute to a balanced diet for garden birds.

Like humans, birds benefit from a varied diet, providing all of the various vitamins and minerals that their small bodies need. In support of this, cheese serves as a source of essential amino acids that help birds grow strong muscles and tissues. It contains the calcium required for optimal bone development. Plus, calcium is also vital for bird reproduction and is an important component nutrient for making eggshells.

Finally, cheese is an excellent source of vitamins A and B12, which are vital for a bird’s eyesight and healthy red blood cell production.

So, in response to the question, can birds eat cheese safely, the answer is a resounding yes. However, there are a few caveats that you should know about, so please read on before you turn your bird table into a cheese platter!

Are All Types of Cheese Safe For Birds?

While birds can eat cheese, it is important to note that not all cheeses are created equal.

You might have heard that milk is very bad for birds, and that’s true. This is because a bird’s digestive system doesn’t produce the enzyme lactase, which means that they are unable to digest lactose properly.

So, while some dairy products are okay for birds because they are low in lactose, others can cause significant digestive problems. Happily, there is a simple way to know the difference.

Soft cheeses like camembert, brie and cream cheese should also be avoided. This will stick to feathers and affect their waterproofing, flight and insulation.

Choosing Low-Lactose Cheeses for Birds

Birds can tolerate a tiny bit of lactose without any trouble, but too much can cause a stomach upset and potentially even be life-threatening. This is why it is dangerous to feed unfermented dairy products to birds, including milk, curds, whey, and butter.

However, dairy products like cheese are fermented, which makes them much safer for birds to eat. The fermentation process that takes place during the cheese-making process breaks down lactose, and the longer it continues the better.

This means that mature, harder cheeses that contain less lactose—typically less than 3.5%— are safest for birds. However, softer cheeses usually contain more lactose, so are best avoided. Other dairy products that are safe for birds include fermented products such as kefir and yoghurt.

Other Cheeses to Avoid

Alongside making sure that you choose mature, low-lactose cheeses for your bird feeder, it is also important to avoid cheeses with added flavourings or cheeses that are mouldy.

You will almost certainly have seen flavoured cheeses at the supermarket, such as those with herbs, nuts, and garlic added. With these products, it is essential to consider whether any additional ingredient might be bad for birds. For example, both onion and garlic can be toxic or even fatal to birds.

Did you know that it is a type of mould that creates the blue colouring and flavour of cheeses like Roquefort and Stilton? We humans enjoy some intentionally mouldy cheeses, but some moulds can be dangerous for birds. It is best to be cautious and keep smelly or mouldy cheeses away from the bird table.

Cheese Types That Are Safe for Birds

  • Cheddar
  • Gouda
  • Swiss Cheese
  • Parmesan

Cheese Types That Are Not Safe for Birds

  • Ricotta
  • Cream Cheese
  • Brie
  • Camembert
  • Mozzarella
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Blue or Mouldy Cheeses
  • Flavoured Cheeses

How Should I Feed Cheese to Birds?

Having identified that the leftover cheese you have is a low-lactose hard cheese without any mould or flavourings, you might still be wondering, why feed cheese to birds?

The simple answer is that nutrient-dense cheese, rich in fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, can support the health of garden birds. Particularly, it can offer fantastic nutritional support in the winter when birds need extra energy to keep warm.

The next question is of course, how should cheese be fed to birds?

You can make it easier for the birds that visit your feeder or table by grating the cheese or breaking it into smaller pieces. This will also ensure that a larger bird doesn’t come and steal the whole lump before any smaller birds get to have a nibble!

Do remember, too, that other animals in the garden will be drawn to cheese—and some may be less welcome than others. Rodents and other pests love cheese, so be sure to use a high bird table and pick up any bits that fall to the floor.

Returning to what we said earlier about the importance of a varied diet for birds, we also recommend providing cheese to avian visitors in moderation and alongside other kinds of bird food such as seeds and fruits.

Exactly as it is for us much bigger creatures, too much of anything can become a problem, and we certainly wouldn’t feel great if we tried to live on cheese alone! So mix things up at the bird feeder and you’ll ensure that you contribute to the health of your various flying passers-by.

Birds That Like Cheese

If you do decide to put some cheese on your bird table, look out for these bird species, which are known to particularly enjoy a cheesy snack.

  • Robin
  • Wren
  • Dunnock
  • Great Tit
  • Sparrow

I'm Suzanne the traveller and photographer behind Meandering Wild. With over 30 years of experience travelling to different corners of the world in search of wildlife and remote locations nearly all of the advice on this website is from my own exploring.