Garden bird feeding supports billions of wild birds globally, but poorly managed feeding can also cause disease and alter natural behaviors in ways that affect welfare.
Garden bird feeding represents an unusual case where individual welfare benefit is well-documented but management quality is highly variable. When done well - clean feeders, appropriate foods, positioned to minimize predation risk - supplementary feeding provides real welfare benefits including reduced cold-stress mortality. When done poorly - dirty feeders, inappropriate foods, poor positioning - it can harm the animals it intends to help through disease spread and predation. The welfare obligation is to feed well or not at all: casual, inconsistent feeding is often worse than no feeding.