While many people enjoy feeding birds, improperly maintained feeders can put birds at risk. Bird feeders and bird baths can serve as reservoirs for several diseases found in birds including salmonellosis, trichomoniasis, aspergillosis, avian pox, and conjunctivitis.
If sick birds are noticed at feeders, stop feeding the birds, clean the feeders with a dilute bleach solution (one cup bleach to nine cups water), and wait three to four weeks before feeding the birds again. Properly maintained feeders can help reduce the spread of these diseases. Be sure to properly maintain bird baths as well.
An even better way to attract birds to your yard is to plant a mix of native trees, shrubs, and flowers that provide natural food sources, cover, and nesting sites for birds. Providing natural sources of food, rather than stocking bird feeders, will reduce the likelihood of healthy birds coming into close contact with sick birds.
For more information about properly maintaining bird feeders, check out Cornell’s All About Birds.
Photo: Don Severson
The Wildlife Illinois website was authorized by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in partial fulfillment of project W-147-T. The website was developed by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, 2wav, and the IDNR in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services and University of Illinois Extension to provide research-based information about how to coexist with Illinois wildlife.
