Robins are considered one of the biggest symbols of Christmas, and there's nothing like seeing the birds stop by the garden during the run up to the festive season. However, if you'd like them to stop by but struggle to see them, there's a simple thing you can do to encourage them to visit.

Little you may know, the birds are attracted to a very specific food, so leaving it in your garden can help them visit, especially during the months of November and December when their food supply is scarce. Feeding them can help keep them healthy during the winter months, and experts say leaving one simple item outside can draw them in.

There's a simple way to invite them and encourage them to come back time and time again. This is because robins love a number of simple things that can be found in the garden.

In an Instagram post, bird seed makers Coles Wild Bird said: "How do you attract robins? Give them what they love. We've all seen robins eating worms.

"They eat a variety of worms, insects and berries. You can attract them using suet cakes, mealworms or sunflower meats. What is working best for you?"

Little you may know, robins love to eat berries. Fruit is considered an important food source for them during the autumn and winter seasons.

Their diet includes a variety of fruits like holly, hawthorn and mountain ash berries, but they also enjoy cultivated fruits like strawberries, blueberries and grapes. This means leaving the fruit outside can help attract them.

In gardens, robins will also eat fruits like apples, raisins and dried cranberries, so you have a few options. If you have a bird feeder, they also like suet and suet pellet.

Suet is generally high in fat, which means it's a good food source for robins, especially in winter. If you want to leave fruit outside for robins, it's generally advised people put out apples and raisins.

It's important they are chopped into small pieces, and dried fruit should be soaked in water before it's offered to birds. This helps to make the fruit plump and soft, which is easier for robins' small, soft bills to handle and digest.

Robins become much more noticeable throughout the winter months because natural food sources become scarcer, meaning they're far more likely to pop up in gardens and at bird tables whilst hunting for something to eat.

There isn't a lot of thick foliage on trees and bushes at this time of year, which makes them much easier to spot. As well as this, some robins from continental Europe actually migrate to the UK for the winter, which increases local numbers.

As the weather gets colder, their natural food supplies begin to dwindle, and they start to establish new winter territories. This explains why you may have already noticed them starting to appear, and you might even hear them singing their distinctive "autumn song" too.

One thing you may not know is why the birds are associated with Christmas. It actually started thanks to the Victorian-era postmen as, back then, postal workers wore bright red uniforms and were nicknamed "robins".

Since then, these adorable birds have been associated with the festive period. Nowadays, people always hope to spot them in their gardens throughout the winter months. Brits may also be able to see them even more now thanks to this simple feeding tip.