Did you know the feeding of ducks (and all water fowl) at or near Huroc Park is against city ordinance? It is not only against the law, IT IS UNHEALTHY FOR THE WATER FOWL!
Many birders were first introduced to the joys of wildlife by feeding ducks bread at a local park or pond. While we may have thought this was an environmentally responsible and cute way to dispose of old or stale bread, offering bread to ducks is actually unhealthy and potentially dangerous for the birds, other wildlife, and even ourselves.
What Bread Is to Ducks
Bread and similar products such as crackers, rolls, chips, crisps, donuts, crusts, cereal, and popcorn are great sources of carbohydrates, but they offer little nutritional value for ducks, geese, swans, and other birds. In fact, bread is the equivalent of junk food for birds. Just like humans would suffer from a diet of nothing but candy and sugar, too much bread can lead ducks to obesity and malnutrition as well as many other problems.
Why Bread Is Bad for Ducks
Not only can bread be fattening to ducks and make it harder for them to fly and otherwise evade predators, but feeding ducks can also lead to other serious problems.
DUCKLING MALNUTRITION: Ducklings require a varied diet and plenty of natural plants and insect proteins to mature properly. If ducks are regularly fed bread, ducklings will not receive adequate nutrition for proper growth and development. Furthermore, because ducks will eagerly seek out an easy food source such as human handouts, ducklings will not learn to recognize or forage for natural foods as easily.
OVERCROWDING: Where an easy food source is abundant, ducks and other waterfowl will lay more eggs and the pond or lake will quickly become overcrowded. This makes it more difficult for the birds to seek out healthier food sources and increases the likelihood of territorial aggression. In overcrowded areas, predators can also thrive and will impact other bird populations, and diseases can quickly spread through large flocks as well.
POLLUTION: When too much bread is offered to ducks, not all of it will be eaten. Soggy, uneaten bread is an eyesore, and rotting bread and increased bird defecation can create noxious odors as well as lead to greater algae growth that can clog waterways and crowd out more desirable plants. This concentrates the pollution and can eventually eradicate fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and other life in the vicinity, making good food sources even scarcer.
DISEASES: Feeding ducks bread can increase the spread of diseases in two ways. First, a carbohydrate-rich diet leads to greater defecation, and bird feces easily harbors bacteria responsible for numerous diseases, including avian botulism. Second, moldy bread can cause aspergillosis, a fatal lung infection that can decimate entire duck and waterfowl flocks.
PEST ATTRACTION: Rotting food left over from sated ducks will attract other unwelcome pests such as raccoons, rats, mice, and insects. These pests can also harbor additional diseases that can be dangerous to humans and threatening to other wildlife.
LOSS OF NATURAL BEHAVIOR: When birds become accustomed to handouts, they lose their natural fear of humans and may become aggressive in order to get more food. Their loss of fear can also cause other dangers, such as a willingness to cross busy roads in order to reach picnickers, dumpsters, and other likely sources of food.
So to avoid putting the water fowl's health in danger and receiving a VIOLATION and COSTLY FINE, please refrain from feeding the water fowl at or near Huroc Park!
https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/.../stop.../
Original source can be found here.
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