RSPB: Stop Feeding Finches

A garden bird feeder works like a crowded café table: lots of beaks touch the same food and the same water in the same place. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says that setup helps spread trichomonosis, a parasite-driven disease that has hammered finches in Britain. (rspb.org.uk) Trichomonosis is caused by a microscopic parasite called Trichomonas gallinae, and it attacks the throat and gullet so birds struggle to swallow. Sick birds can end up emaciated and die because food and water are right in front of them but they cannot get them down. (rspb.org.uk) The parasite is thought to move in saliva, regurgitated food, and contaminated food or water. That is why a feeder or bird bath can turn into the bird version of everyone sharing the same glass. (rspb.org.uk) This stopped being a niche pigeon disease in 2005, when sick and dead songbirds, especially greenfinches and chaffinches, started showing up in residential gardens across Great Britain. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says the disease then spread rapidly through finch populations. (rspb.org.uk) The losses have been huge. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says greenfinches have fallen by more than 65% over the last three decades, and its 2024 research page says the disease was linked to a 62% greenfinch decline and a 37% chaffinch decline from 2011 to 2021. (rspb.org.uk 1) (rspb.org.uk 2) That is why the charity has changed its advice. From 1 May to 31 October, it says people should pause putting out seeds and peanuts, because spring and summer bring both higher disease risk and more natural food like insects and wild seeds. (rspb.org.uk) It is not telling people to strip gardens bare for six months. The current guidance says small amounts of mealworms, fat balls, or suet can still be offered between 1 May and 31 October, and a full range of bird food can return from 1 November to 30 April. (rspb.org.uk) The second half of the advice is about hygiene, because a dirty feeder keeps yesterday’s saliva and droppings in today’s lunch. The charity says feeders and water baths should be cleaned at least once a week, old food and droppings should be cleared from underneath, and bird baths should be refilled with fresh water every day. (rspb.org.uk 1) (rspb.org.uk 2) It also wants people to spread birds out instead of packing them together. Its guidance says to move feeders to a different spot every week, use several feeding stations if you have them, and avoid putting feeders under roosting spots like trees where droppings can fall straight in. (rspb.org.uk 1) (rspb.org.uk 2) Flat feeding surfaces are a special problem because damp food can sit there and collect contamination. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says not to use bird tables, window feeders, or tray-style feeders, and it has already suspended sales of those products while it studies how disease spreads in gardens. (rspb.org.uk) (rspb.org.uk) If a bird looks lethargic, fluffed up, drools, regurgitates food, struggles to swallow, or has wet, matted feathers around the face, the charity says to stop feeding for at least two weeks and empty bird baths. That is a small interruption for a human routine, but for greenfinches it is the difference between a buffet and a disease hotspot. (rspb.org.uk) (rspb.org.uk)