Editing Bird feeding

{{Short description|The activity of feeding wild birds}}
[[File:bird.table.600pix.jpg|thumb|right|A bird table, with a [[Common wood pigeon|wood pigeon]] on the roof, in an English garden.<!-- NOTE: the details of this image can be confirmed by reading the description provided by the photographer on Wikimedia Commons --> The table provides water, peanuts, sunflower seeds and a seed mix.]]
[[File:Mallard - Gräsand (Anas platyrhynchos) - Ystad-2024.ogg|thumb|A [[mallard]] (male) eats [[rolled oats]] from the hand.]]

'''Bird feeding''' is the activity of feeding wild birds, often by means of [[bird feeder]]s. With a recorded history dating to the 6th century,<ref>{{Cite web |last=sagehouse |date=2018-07-19 |title=A Tentative History of Wild Bird Feeding (part 1) |url=https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/a-tentative-history-of-wild-bird-feeding-part-1/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=Cornell University Press |language=en-US}}</ref> the feeding of wild birds has been encouraged and celebrated in the United States and United Kingdom, with it being the United States' second most popular hobby having [[National Bird-Feeding Month]] congressionally decreed in 1994. Various types of food are provided by various methods; certain combinations of food and method of feeding are known to attract certain bird species.

The feeding of wild birds has been shown to have possible negative as well as positive effects; while a study in [[Sheffield]], England found that the abundance of garden birds increased with levels of bird feeding, multiple reports suggest that bird feeding may have various negative ecological effects and may be detrimental to the birds being fed, including increased risk of predatory action and [[malnutrition]]. It has been estimated that American adults spend approximately  US$3.8 billion a year on food, feeders and related accessories.

==History==
[[File:Mies ruokkii kyyhkysiä Runebergin Esplanaadilla. - N2024 (hkm.HKMS000005-000001cv).jpg|thumb|A man feeding pigeons at [[Esplanadi]] in [[Helsinki]], Finland, in 1921]]
The British naturalist [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]] wrote that the first person recorded as feeding wild birds was the 6th-century monk [[Saint Serf]] of [[Fife]] who tamed a robin by feeding it.

During the harsh winter of 1890–1891 in the United Kingdom national newspapers asked people to put out food for birds, and in 1910 in the United Kingdom, [[Punch (magazine)|''Punch'' magazine]] declared that feeding birds had become a national pastime.<ref name=moss>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTbLAgAAQBAJ&q=serf |title=A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching |author=Moss, Stephen |year=2004 |publisher=Aurum |pages=102–103|isbn=9781781310090 }}</ref>

Today in the United Kingdom, most people feed year-round, and enough food is provided to support the calorie requirements of the 10 most common garden bird species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Orros|first1=Melanie E.|last2=Fellowes|first2=Mark D. E.|date=2015-06-01|title=Wild Bird Feeding in an Urban Area: Intensity, Economics and Numbers of Individuals Supported|journal=Acta Ornithologica|volume=50|issue=1|pages=43–58|doi=10.3161/00016454AO2015.50.1.006|s2cid=85875878 |issn=0001-6454|doi-access=free}}</ref> Bird feeding has grown into the United States' second most popular hobby behind gardening.<ref name="Feeding Time">Richardson, Scott. "Feeding Time." ''Pantagraph'' [Bloomington, IL] 31 January 2010. Print.</ref> In celebration of the bird feeding hobby, February was named [[National Bird-Feeding Month]] by congressional decree in 1994.<ref>U.S. House. Representative John Porter of Illinois speaking on National Wild Bird Feeding Month. 103rd Cong. ''Congressional Record'' (23 February 1994). Volume 140.</ref>

== Types ==
{{See also|Bird food}}
[[File:Bird feeding - Margaret Island.jpg|thumb|Seabird feeding]]
Certain [[Bird food|foods]] tend to attract certain birds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2010/Bird-seeds.aspx |title="Which Bird Seeds are Best?" from ''National Wildlife'' Magazine 1/31/2010 |publisher=Nwf.org |date=2011-10-26 |access-date=2011-11-15}}</ref> [[Finch]]es and [[siskin]] are attracted by [[Guizotia abyssinica|niger]] (''nyger'' or ''nyjer''),<ref name="BBC Science & Nature">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/gardenwildlife/myspace/content.shtml?25 |title=BBC Science & Nature UK Wildlife – Bird Feeders |publisher=[[BBC]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208022030/https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/gardenwildlife/myspace/content.shtml?25 |archive-date=February 8, 2006 |access-date=January 1, 2023}}</ref> and [[jay]]s prefer [[maize]]. [[Hummingbird]]s, [[sunbird]]s and other [[nectivorous]] birds seek [[nectar]]. [[File:Hummingbirds reaching out to a feeder.jpg|thumb|Hummingbirds encircling a feeder with nectar]] Mixed seed and black-oil sunflower seed is favoured by many seed-eating species due to its high fat content and thin casing. In Australia, meat, especially raw beef mince (or ground beef), is commonly fed to wild carnivorous birds such as [[Australian magpie]]s and [[kookaburras]].
<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reynolds |first1=S James |last2=Galbraith |first2=Josie A |last3=Smith |first3=Jennifer A |last4=Jones |first4=Darryl N |date=2017 |title=Garden Bird Feeding: Insights and Prospects from a North-South Comparison of This Global Urban Phenomenon |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |volume=5 |doi=10.3389/fevo.2017.00024 |doi-access=free |hdl=10072/356102 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Birds such as [[white-eye]]s, [[Lybiidae|barbets]], and certain [[Thrush (bird)|thrushes]] will consume fresh and cut fruit. Different feeders can be purchased specialized for different species. It is not only small birds that are attracted by bird feeding. In some urban areas of the UK, [[red kite]]s are fed chicken and table scraps in gardens.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Orros|first1=Melanie E.|last2=Fellowes|first2=Mark D. E.|date=2014-04-03|title=Supplementary feeding of the reintroduced Red Kite Milvus milvus in UK gardens|journal=Bird Study|volume=61|issue=2|pages=260–263|doi=10.1080/00063657.2014.885491|bibcode=2014BirdS..61..260O |s2cid=86655293 |issn=0006-3657|url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/35674/1/00063657.2014.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Orros|first1=Melanie E.|last2=Fellowes|first2=Mark D. E.|date=2015-04-01|title=Widespread supplementary feeding in domestic gardens explains the return of reintroduced Red Kites Milvus milvus to an urban area|journal=Ibis|language=en|volume=157|issue=2|pages=230–238|doi=10.1111/ibi.12237|pmid=25937644|issn=1474-919X|pmc=4409027}}</ref>

Most common birds can be fed using peanuts, seed, coconut (but never [[desiccated coconut]]) or fat (but not oils that are liquid at room temperature) using a variety of feeders.<ref name="BBC Science & Nature"/>

[[File:Bird feeding in rural Oklahoma.jpg|thumb|Feeding wild birds in rural Oklahoma.]]

After a station is established, it can take some weeks for birds to discover and start using it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-11 |title=How Long Does It Take For Birds To Find A Bird Feeder? |url=https://www.birdinformer.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-birds-to-find-a-bird-feeder/ |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=Bird Informer |language=en-US}}</ref> This is particularly true if the feeding station is the first one in an area or (in cold-winter areas) if the station is being established in spring when natural sources of food are plentiful. Food, particularly unshelled foods, such as thistle seed and suet, left uneaten for too long may spoil.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-13 |title=How Food Spoils |url=https://food.unl.edu/how-food-spoils |access-date=2022-12-21 |website=UNL Food |language=en}}</ref> Birds also require a source of drinking water and a birdbath can attract birds as a feeding station.

In North America, suet can be used to attract a variety of birds that may not reliably visit a bird feeder containing seeds. In Texas, all common species of [[woodpecker]]s will use a suet feeder year-round. {{Cn|date=December 2022}} In winter, [[yellow-rumped warbler|yellow-rumped]] and [[orange-crowned warbler|orange-crowned]] warblers, [[golden-crowned kinglet]]s and [[northern flicker]]s could visit. In spring, [[northern oriole]] and other warblers may also visit.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

== Impact ==
[[File:"Feed The Birds This Winter...", ca. 1917 - ca. 1919 - NARA - 512477.jpg|thumb|A 1918 call from the [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture]] to feed birds in the winter.]]
A study conducted in Sheffield, England, found that the abundance of garden birds increased with levels of bird feeding. This effect was only apparent in those species that regularly take supplementary food, raising the possibility that bird feeding was having a direct effect on bird abundance. In contrast, the density of feeding stations had no effect on the number of different bird species present in a neighbourhood.<ref name=sheffield>Fuller, R.A., Warren, P.H., Armsworth, P.R., Barbosa, O. & Gaston, K.J. 2008. Garden bird feeding predicts the structure of urban avian assemblages. Diversity & Distributions 14, 131–137. {{doi|10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00439.x}}</ref>

The use of bird feeders has been claimed to cause environmental problems; some of these were highlighted in a front-page article in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.<ref>Sterba, James B. "Crying Fowl: Feeding Wild Birds May Harm Them and Environment", ''Wall Street Journal'', December 27, 2002.</ref>

Prior to the publication of ''The Wall Street Journal'' article, Canadian [[ornithologist]] Jason Rogers also wrote about the environmental problems associated with the use of bird feeders in the journal ''[[Alberta|Alberta Naturalist]]''.<ref>Rogers, J. 2002. Birdfeeding: Another viewpoint. Alberta Naturalist 31: 1-11.</ref> In this article, Rogers explains how the practice of feeding wild birds is inherently fraught with negative impacts and risks such as fostering dependency, altering natural distribution, [[population density|density]] and [[bird migration|migration]] patterns, interfering with ecological processes, causing malnutrition, facilitating the spread of disease and increasing the risk of death from cats, [[pesticides]], hitting windows and other causes.  In the UK, introduced [[eastern gray squirrel]]s can consume significant volumes of food intended for birds.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hanmer|first1=Hugh J.|last2=Thomas|first2=Rebecca L.|last3=Fellowes|first3=Mark D. E.|title=Introduced Grey Squirrels subvert supplementary feeding of suburban wild birds|journal=Landscape and Urban Planning|date=2018|volume=177|pages=10–18|doi=10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.04.004|bibcode=2018LUrbP.177...10H |s2cid=90663919 |url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/76790/1/Squirrels_on_feeders_MDEF%20final%20full.pdf}}</ref> An experimental study providing supplementary food during the breeding season found that predation levels by [[Corvidae|corvids]] and eastern gray squirrels were higher when nests were located in close proximity to filled feeders.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hanmer, H. J. |author2=Thomas, R. L. |author3=Fellowes, M. D. E.  | year=2017| title=Provision of supplementary food for wild birds may increase the risk of local nest predation| journal=Ibis| volume=159| pages=158–167| doi=10.1111/ibi.12432| issue=1|url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/68066/3/Ibis%20paper%20final%20complete.pdf }}</ref>

In a paper in the journal ''[[Oecologia]]'', it was reported that feeding of [[Eurasian blue tit|blue tit]]s and [[great tit]]s with peanut cake over a long time period significantly reduced [[brooding|brood]] size. This was driven by smaller [[Clutch (eggs)|clutch]] sizes in both species and lower hatching success rates for blue tits.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1007/s00442-010-1645-x | pmid=20473622 | volume=164 | issue=2 | title=Does food supplementation really enhance productivity of breeding birds? | year=2010 | journal=Oecologia | pages=311–320 | last1 = Harrison | first1 = Timothy J. E. | last2 = Smith | first2 = Jennifer A. | last3 = Martin | first3 = Graham R. | last4 = Chamberlain | first4 = Dan E. | last5 = Bearhop | first5 = Stuart | last6 = Robb | first6 = Gillian N. | last7 = Reynolds | first7 = S. James| bibcode=2010Oecol.164..311H | s2cid=23419420 }}</ref>
Studies by the [[University of Freiburg]] and [[Environment Canada]] found that [[blackcap]]s migrating to Great Britain from Germany had become adapted to eating food supplied by humans. In contrast blackcaps migrating to Spain had bills adapted to feeding on fruit such as olives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/feeding-birds-can-affect-evolution-study-1.799672 |title=Feeding birds can affect evolution: study - Technology & Science - CBC News |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=2009-12-04 |access-date=2011-11-15}}</ref>

Providing supplementary food at feeding stations may also change interactions with other species. [[Aphid]]s<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Orros|first1=Melanie E.|last2=Fellowes|first2=Mark D.E.|title=Supplementary feeding of wild birds indirectly affects the local abundance of arthropod prey|journal=Basic and Applied Ecology|language=en|volume=13|issue=3|pages=286–293|doi=10.1016/j.baae.2012.03.001|year=2012|bibcode=2012BApEc..13..286O }}</ref> and [[Ground beetle|carabid]] beetles<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Orros|first1=Melanie E.|last2=Thomas|first2=Rebecca L.|last3=Holloway|first3=Graham J.|last4=Fellowes|first4=Mark D. E.|date=2015-06-01|title=Supplementary feeding of wild birds indirectly affects ground beetle populations in suburban gardens|journal=Urban Ecosystems|language=en|volume=18|issue=2|pages=465–475|doi=10.1007/s11252-014-0404-x|pmid=26190913|issn=1083-8155|pmc=4498636|bibcode=2015UrbEc..18..465O }}</ref> are more likely to be predated by birds near bird feeders.

== Economy ==
Large sums of money are spent by ardent bird feeders, who indulge their wild birds with a variety of [[bird food]]s and bird feeders. Over 55 million Americans over the age of 16 feed wild birds and spend more than $3 billion a year on bird food, and $800 million a year on bird feeders, [[bird bath]]s, [[bird house]]s and other bird feeding accessories.<ref name="USFWS">"Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation–National Overview 2007." ''U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.'' 2006.</ref>  The activity has spawned an industry that sells supplies and equipment for the bird feeding hobby.

In some cities or parts of cities (e.g. [[Trafalgar Square]] in London<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6986166.stm|title=Trafalgar's pigeon ban extended|work=BBC News|date=10 September 2007|access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>) feeding [[pigeons]] is activity discouraged by government, either because they compete with vulnerable native species, or because they abound and cause pollution and/or [[noise (environmental)|noise]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}

==See also==
*[[Bird food plants]] &ndash; certain trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants bearing fruits which afford food for birds
*[[Do not feed the animals]] &ndash; a policy forbidding the artificial feeding of wildlife, commonly signposted in places where people come into contact with wildlife
*[[National Bird-Feeding Society]] (NBFS) &ndash; an organization in the United States whose mission is to make the hobby of bird feeding better, both for people who feed wild birds and for the birds themselves
*[[Nectar source]] &ndash; a flowering plant that produces nectar, sometimes attracting birds such as hummingbirds
*[[Suet cake]] &ndash; or "fat balls" are nutritional supplements for wild birds, commonly consisting of sunflower seeds and wheat or oat flakes mixed with suet
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Handling a Feral Pigeon is no joke.jpg|[[Feral pigeon|Feral]] [[Rock dove|Rock Dove]] feeding in a hand
File:Belcher's Gulls in Callao, Peru.jpg|[[Belcher's gull]]s feeding off of [[saltine cracker]]s
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article/3/1/cov058/2571277?login=true  Effects of bird-feeding activities on the health of wild birds.] 
*[https://millikin.edu/news/impact-wild-bird-feeding  The Impact of Wild Bird Feeding.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207112206/https://millikin.edu/news/impact-wild-bird-feeding |date=2021-12-07 }}
*[http://feederwatch.org/learn/feeding-birds/ Project FeederWatch]
*[https://canbirdseat.com Bird Feeding: Large/Small Birds]
*[http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/wild-bird-food.html Seed Preference]
{{Commons category|Bird feeding}}


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