Garden bird feeding can benefit wild birds but done incorrectly can spread disease, attract predators, and provide inappropriate nutrition — evidence-based practices maximize welfare benefit.
Garden bird feeding represents one of the most widely practiced human-wildlife welfare interactions, but one where good intentions frequently translate into poor welfare outcomes through inadequate practice. Dirty feeders, inappropriate foods, poorly positioned stations, and ignored disease outbreaks all transform intended welfare benefits into welfare harms. The evidence for best practice is clear: clean feeders weekly, provide appropriate species-specific food, position feeders to minimize predator access, maintain clean water, and respond promptly to signs of disease by temporarily removing feeders to allow affected birds to disperse. Done well, garden feeding provides genuine welfare benefits; done poorly, it creates welfare harms through disease and inappropriate nutrition.