18Capsule: Providing peanuts on bird feeders was shown to attract more individuals and more 19 species than providing cheese or bread. 20Aims: To investigate how the provision of different human-derived foods affects visitation rates 21 of urban birds at bird feeders. 22Methods: A fully replicated study design was set up in parkland, offering a binary choice from 23 three food types (peanuts, bread and cheese), on bird tables. Birds were observed using a scan-24 sample method. 25Results: Peanuts attracted more visits and a greater diversity of species than cheese or bread. 26This preference was strongest for Blue Tits and Great Tits, whereas Robins visited all food types 27equally, and Blackbirds preferred cheese. Bread was the most consumed food type when 28 measured in mass, but this could be linked to varying bite sizes. 29 Conclusion:Our results indicate that most birds preferred to visit the most protein-and energy-30 rich food, but that some birds still choose the carbohydrate-rich bread. The findings indicate that 31 peanuts, rather than household scraps like bread and cheese, attract the highest number of bird 32 species as well as individuals to bird tables. The findings are of interest to the public and to 33 organisations providing information on bird feeding for recreational purposes. 34 35