Feeding Bread to Ducks can Result in Big Problems

According to experts, feeding bread to ducks could lead to bigger problems if the habit is not changed.

Russell McLendon, a correspondent from Treehugger, compiled the reports from several experts to provide a better understanding of the matter.

Every year, park visitors in England and Wales alone feed wild ducks nearly 3.5 million loaves of bread.

However, since ducks require a varied diet, bread should be the last option when feeding them.

Overpopulated Ponds

While ducks and geese usually inhabit areas with adequate food sources, artificial feeding sites can attract large crowds to areas that would not normally support them, leading to intense competition and stress.

Furthermore, the concentration of birds in these areas can create unsanitary conditions that promote the transmission of diseases that would not typically spread in the wild, as pointed out by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Unnatural Animal Behavior

Feeding ducks can lead to negative changes in their behavior, such as adult ducks becoming fixated on handouts and neglecting to teach their ducklings to forage, resulting in a lifetime of begging.

Additionally, birds may lose their natural fear of humans and display more aggressive behavior.

Furthermore, artificial feeding may disrupt the migration patterns of waterfowl as they may be reluctant to leave a reliable food source, leading to struggles for survival during winter, especially if their human feeders are unable to provide food due to the cold temperatures.

Pollution, Algae, Molds

If calorie-rich foods, such as bread, accumulate in a pond due to being tossed to waterfowl, along with their droppings, the US Environmental Protection Agency warned that it can lead to the development of algae blooms that deplete oxygen from the water, causing hypoxia, which can harm pond life and deprive birds of their natural food supplies.

Feeding ducks leftover bread that has already spoiled can be dangerous, as the green mold that develops on bread can cause aspergillosis, a potentially fatal respiratory disease in birds, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Fungi.

The study posits that people should, therefore, avoid doing so.

Natural Diet and Alternatives

While feeding waterfowl is not necessarily wrong, bird experts and wildlife advocates emphasized the importance of moderation by limiting the size of handouts and avoiding overcrowded feeding areas.

Some conservation groups discourage feeding wildlife altogether, while others aim to improve the food provided to ducks.

Good alternatives to bread include corn, rice, lettuce, peas, oats, seeds, and similar greens.

The suggested alternatives are akin to the natural diet of ducks, which includes grains, grass, aquatic plants, insects, worms, and some shellfish, as they are omnivorous creatures that consume a variety of plants and small animals accessible to them.

Mature ducks typically consume around six to seven ounces of food per day.

According to Treehugger, while it's generally considered bad for wildlife, particularly for birds whose natural food sources dwindle at times, feeding ducks can be helpful, especially for those living in urban areas.