We’ve probably all been to the park with a bag of bread crumbs, feeding the birds. While these can be treasured memories for people, is bread good for birds? Or have we been unknowingly causing health problems in our wildlife?
In this article, we’ll explore the risks associated with bread for birds and some healthier alternatives.
Can Birds Eat Bread?
While bread isn’t toxic to birds, it also isn’t good for them to eat, especially in large quantities. Bread is enticing to birds and also very filling for their small stomachs, which can stop them from eating more nutritious, species-appropriate foods such as nuts, seeds, berries, and insects.
This can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Since birds have small stomachs, it’s important that everything they eat is nutritionally balanced.
Feeding birds bread can also make them overly dependent on humans. An example of this is wild waterfowl, as they may learn to beg for human food rather than forage and hunt naturally.
If and when the humans they rely on for food go away, these birds may not know how to fend for themselves. Or, their population may have surged while being fed by people, only for birds to die once they have to rely on scarcer resources.
Risks of Bread for Birds
Unfortunately, there are many risks to feeding birds bread. It’s detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Here are some problems birds may face:
Mold
While fresh bread isn’t toxic to birds, moldy bread can be. Just like humans, birds can suffer from mold poisoning.
Even if the bread you toss outside isn’t moldy yet, it can quickly grow mold if left for too long or in wet weather conditions. For this reason, feeding large amounts of leftover bread is much riskier than feeding it in small amounts.
Intestinal Blockages
Birds who break off large pieces from a piece of bread may face intestinal blockages, as their digestive systems are quite small and are typically not meant to handle large food items.
This may be especially likely when many birds are competing for a piece of bread, as they’re more likely to grab the biggest piece they can and gulp it down.
Pests
Leaving bread outdoors may attract unwanted pests, from ants to large rats! This can be bad for you and the birds you’re feeding.
When these pests want more tasty food, they may invade your trash or even your or your neighbors’ homes. It’s always important to consider what kinds of animals we’re unintentionally feeding when we leave food outside!
Dependency on Humans
The ethics of feeding wildlife can be tricky since we don’t want them to become overly dependent on humans. This poses many risks, including:
- Eliminating the natural foraging and hunting behaviors birds need to survive
- Nutritional deficiencies occur when humans don’t feed birds properly
- Birds may become overly trusting of humans, some of whom mean to do them harm
- Suffering or death if help from humans goes away
Most experts agree that it’s okay to feed seeds and nuts to backyard birds. However, they also agree that it’s detrimental to feed certain bird species, such as waterfowl.
Obesity
Bread is full of fats and carbs not seen in most birds’ natural diets. It’s also very filling, not to mention tasty! This makes it easy for birds to overconsume.
Obesity in birds can lead to a range of health problems, including fatty liver disease, heart attack, and stroke. It can also make it more difficult for them to fly. They may struggle to migrate or escape predators.
The Best Foods for Birds
If birds shouldn’t eat bread, what can you feed them? Here are some of the best foods for birds:
Wild Birds
If you’re looking to attract backyard birds, there are a few things you can do to provide food sources. They include direct feeding methods and creating foraging opportunities so that birds can feed themselves.
Direct Feeding
To directly feed birds, choose a high-quality bird seed. The fewer filler ingredients, the better for the birds’ health (and the greater variety of birds you’re likely to attract!). You can also leave out nuts so long as they’re unsalted and unseasoned.
Many fresh fruits and vegetables are also good for birds, but in my experience, they don’t tend to eat fresh produce as well when it’s not still attached to the plant.
If you’re looking to attract a specific bird species, look into what they eat. For instance, the woodpeckers in my yard don’t seem to care about the birdseed we buy, but they always fly out of the trees for nuts!
Foraging Opportunities
You can also attract birds by planting berry bushes so that they have fruit to eat, planting wildflowers so that birds can eat their seeds, or planting a native plant garden to entice more insects into your yard.
These options are often more expensive and take more work in the short term, but your hard work can provide joy for you and your birds for years to come.
Or, you can opt for simpler options: Leave beneficial weeds in your garden, commit to a pesticide-free lawn, and keep your yard as natural as possible to foster an environment that’s good for wildlife of all kinds.
Pet Birds
Pet birds eat differently than their wild companions, even within the same species. For instance, many parrots eat a primarily-seed diet in the wild. They require these calories for long flights, fleeing predators, and the mating season.
Our pet birds require far fewer calories, as they spend their days in our living rooms! They may fly for short periods, but typically not for miles on end. And, they don’t have to worry about being chased by predators.
If pet birds eat the same diet as wild birds, they typically become obese and unwell. Instead, opt for a pelleted food made for your specific bird species. You should also add small amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables to their daily diet.
Avoid bread and other human foods, even if it’s tempting to share with your feathered friend.
