{"id":19849,"date":"2020-03-03T23:50:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T23:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=19849"},"modified":"2020-03-04T05:30:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T05:30:52","slug":"its-ok-to-feed-wild-birds-here-are-some-tips-for-doing-it-the-right-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/its-ok-to-feed-wild-birds-here-are-some-tips-for-doing-it-the-right-way\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s OK to feed wild birds \u2013 here are some tips for doing it the right way"},"content":{"rendered":"

Julian Avery<\/a>, Pennsylvania State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Millions of Americans<\/a> enjoy feeding and watching backyard birds. Many people make a point of putting food out in winter, when birds needs extra energy, and spring, when many species build nests and raise young.<\/p>\n

As a wildlife ecologist<\/a> and a birder, I know it\u2019s important to understand how humans influence bird populations, whether feeding poses risks to wild birds, and how to engage with birds in sustainable ways.<\/p>\n

There is still much to learn about the risks<\/a> and benefits of feeding birds, particularly through large integrated national citizen science networks like Project FeederWatch<\/a>. But we now have enough information to promote healthy interactions that can inspire future generations to care about conservation.<\/p>\n

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A long-term relationship<\/h2>\n

Birds have been taking advantage of human civilization for thousands of years, congregating where grains and waste are abundant. This means that people have been influencing the abundance and distribution of species for a very long time.<\/p>\n

Studies show that providing food has myriad effects on birds\u2019 decisions, behaviors and reproduction. One significant finding is that winter bird feeding increases individual survival rates, can encourage birds to lay eggs earlier in the year, and can also improve nestling survival.<\/p>\n

All of these factors alter species\u2019 future reproductive performance and can increase total bird abundance in later years<\/a>. It\u2019s not always clear how increased abundance of feeder birds impacts other species through competition, but rarer and smaller species can be excluded<\/a>.<\/p>\n