How garden feeders can leave birds in danger of disease

GARDEN bird feeders can put wildlife at risk of diseases, naturalists have warned.

In Britain almost half of households are thought to put out food for birds, such as seeds, nuts and fat balls.

But a study by the Zoological Society of London and the British Trust for Ornithology says this could promote transmission of some diseases.

Garden feeders can encourage birds to repeatedly congregate in the same location, bringing them into contact with other species they would not encounter in the wider environment.

The risk of disease can be increased if the bird tables and other feeding stations are not kept clean, so stale food, food waste and droppings accumulate, the report warned.

The study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, looked at 25 years of data on wild bird health threats.

Co-author Kate Risely of the BTO said: ‘We’re calling on everyone who feeds wild birds to be aware of their responsibility for preventing disease.

‘Simple steps include offering a variety of food from accredited sources, feeding in moderation so that feeders are typically emptied every one to two days, the regular cleaning of bird feeders, and rotation of feeding sites to avoid accumulation of waste food or droppings.’