Feeding wild birds is one of the most common forms of human wildlife interaction, with both welfare benefits and potential risks requiring careful management.
Wild bird feeding occupies a complex welfare space. Done well, it supports birds through food-scarce periods and provides conservation benefits for species in decline. Done poorly, it can spread disease rapidly through concentrated bird populations, habituate birds to human presence in ways that increase predation risk, and offer nutritionally inappropriate food that causes harm. The welfare-centered approach to bird feeding involves appropriate feeder placement, regular cleaning, species-appropriate food, and awareness of the seasonal context in which supplementary feeding provides the most benefit. Cat management is a welfare necessity wherever feeders are present near areas where cats hunt.