What food is dangerous to the health of feathered friends and what should you not feed birds in winter or in general? Here you will find some useful information and tips!
The cold season prompts many bird lovers to provide a variety of food in their backyards or gardens, on balconies or in parks. This is intended to help wild birds find food more difficult due to scarce resources in winter, although bird feeding is also associated with some health risks. There are certain foods that are safe for humans to consume, but cause digestive problems and even death in many species of birds. As a bird lover, if you want to help your wild friends eat healthily, consider the following factors.
Why avoid certain foods and what should you not feed birds?
Sparrows, blackbirds, pigeons, tits and other bird species should be provided with bird food, especially in the winter months when food resources are limited. However, this only applies to some specific types of foods that are digested by birds differently than you might think. In addition, it must be ensured that afterPecking out of bird feedersand bird feeders or outdoors no health complications occur. In this regard, there are blacklisted foods that you should not give to your feathered friends. This way you reduce the risk of affecting their delicate metabolism over the winter.
Which foods are unsuitable for most bird species?
The likelihood that people give wild birds food scraps from time to time is high. Some of these make good bird food, while others could actually do more harm than good to birds. You should avoid the following foods when feeding birds so that wild and garden birds stay healthy in the winter and in general.
- For example, avocado or citrus fruits are not suitable as bird food because the former have a lot of fatty acids and the latter have too high an acid content. This can cause stomach problems in birds and can even have fatal consequences.
- At first glance, dairy products, raw meat or fish also seem to be suitable as rich protein sources. However, such foods are poorly digested by birds, which is especially the case with products that have already gone bad.
- So what about animal fat and what shouldn't you feed birds in bird dumplings? Vegetable fats are preferable because excessive consumption can lead to increased cholesterol levels and heart problems.
- Fried and salted nuts, pastries and junk foods such as potato chips with additives can also be dangerous to the health of most bird species. Raw potatoes are also not suitable as bird food because of their high solanine content, as this can cause digestive disorders.
- Also avoid moldy or rancid bird food due to disease risks and make sure your feathered friends get fresh seeds.
- Sweets such as chocolate should also be avoided as they contain theobromine and caffeine, which can be toxic to birds. Consuming them usually causes diarrhea and seizures, and in some cases even death.
- Fruit or fruit seeds, such as those from apples, apricots and pears, are also prohibited because of the cyanide they contain. If you want to feed fruit to garden birds, you should remove the seeds first.
- When feeding magpies and pigeons, you should avoid garlic and onion due to the sulfur compounds they contain.
Is bread acceptable and what kind of food from the kitchen can be used as bird food?
Many inexperienced animal lovers wonder if theyBread as food for birdsallowed to give. In themselves, most types of bread are not harmful to them, but should not be fed to birds in large quantities. This is because bread has low nutritional value and can cause malnutrition in them if they get used to it. It just fills you up, although small amounts are harmless. But there are certainly more nutritious leftovers in your kitchen that you can give to your feathered friends. Here are some good examples of this that you can also grab straight from the fridge:
- Various dried fruits such as raisins or berries, as well as seedless grapes and mashed bananas are suitable as bird food and even taste good to birds.
- Brown rice, or regular rice but in a cooked state, is a food that is often left over and can be healthy for garden and wild birds. In addition, there are bird species, such as pigeons, that also eat uncooked rice. However, it is unlikely that other visitors to your garden will enjoy raw rice grains.
- Unlike raw potatoes, cooked or roasted varieties, as well as mashed potatoes, are safe for birds. In this way, you are offering them nutritious and healthy food that is guaranteed to be a treat for them. As already written above, you should avoid heavily processed potato snacks.
- Oatmeal also proves to be a good source of food for wild and garden birds. These are available in most households and don't cost much. However, it is best to use uncooked oatmeal as bird food. Cooked oatmeal is sticky and could harden quickly on a bird's beak.
All in all, there is a lot you can offer your feathered friends during the cold winter months. For most of them, mealworms and raw nuts combined with vegetable fat can also be healthy and nutritious meals.
