Bird Health and Feeders: What You Need to Know

As we come further into spring, a lot of questions tend to come up about bird health and safety. We are going to round up the answers to some of our FAQs about bird health each spring. Make sure to bookmark this page for future reference!

Each spring, the conversation surrounding Avian Flu tends to pop up again, with the number one concern being: is it safe to keep bird feeders out and continue to feed birds?

Female Cardinal enjoying mealworms at a feeder. Photo by Leanne Leblanc.

It is our position that there is no need to stop watching, feeding or attracting birds to your yard because of the avian flu. There is no evidence humans are at risk of contracting avian flu from backyard birds or bird feeding. There is no known risk of becoming infected with avian flu from bird feeders or baths. The use of bird feeders is safe, but they should be removed from areas that are open to poultry and other domestic animals. Our problem solving page on avian flu delineates what experts are saying.

You can also read our full blog Avian Flu: What Is It and How to Keep Birds Safe here.

There are also several other health concerns that you may notice in a feeder environment:

House Finch Eye Disease is a highly contagious respiratory disease that affects some wild & domestic bird species. Infected birds will often have runny, crusty, swollen, or red eyes, and in severe cases the eyes can become swollen shut or crusted over, leaving the bird blind. We have a full blog on how to handle Finch Eye Disease here.
Avian Pox is a virus that often causes wart-like growths on the skin, typically the face and feet.
Salmonellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic (can be passed from animal to human) bacterial infection that can infect all bird species, but tends to have higher mortality rate in finch species who flock in large numbers (Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, etc).
Trichomoniasis is an infectious disease caused by a microscopic parasite that affects multiple birds species including doves & pigeons, raptors, finches, and more.

How can you help prevent bird illness in your yard? The easiest way is by keeping your bird feeders clean. Watch this full video on how to best clean your feeders: