Close contact with other birds can increase disease
Many of us feed birds in winter, but a study has shown that bird feeders can be a disease risk if we don’t wash them regularly. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) looked at 25 years of data on wild bird health threats. They concluded that garden feeding could promote the transmission of some diseases.
Almost half of UK households put out seeds, nuts and fat balls on tables and feeders. It also improves people’s well-being and interest in nature. Read more about not feeding birds fat from roasts and leaving fledglings alone.
Bird feeders can be a disease risk – Contact with other species
However, garden feeders can encourage birds to repeatedly congregate in the same place. This brings them into contact with other species with which they would not otherwise interact in normal circumstances. The risk of disease can be increased if the tables and feeding stations are not kept clean, so stale food, food waste and droppings accumulate.
The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, used information on birds visiting gardens and observations of disease from the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch scheme.
Tracking 3 common diseases
It combined information from the large-scale surveillance scheme with post-mortem examinations of birds to track three common diseases. Two of the diseases had emerged recently, causing epidemics affecting large numbers of birds, while a third, previously common, condition had dwindled to very low levels.
Bird feeders can be a disease risk – Advice to lessen risks
As the three diseases are passed on differently, tracking how could help develop advice that allows us to feed birds without putting them at risk. You can lessen risks to wildlife by doing the following:
- Offer a variety of food from reputable sources
- Feed in moderation, so that feeders are emptied every 1-2 days
- Regularly clean bird feeders (weekly)
- Move feeding sites to avoid waste food and droppings building up in one place.
Want to read the full paper? Visit https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/disease_review_paper_0.pdf.
