RSPB stops selling flat bird feeders owing to deadly finch disease
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Feeding birds from flat surfaces such as tables could be contributing to spread of finch trichomonosis, says charity. The RSPB has withdrawn flat bird feeders from sale on its website amid warnings they could be spreading deadly diseases to finches. The charity has said feeding birds from flat surfaces such as tables could be contributing to the spread of illnesses such as finch trichomonosis, which has been blamed for the plummeting greenfinch population.
It told customers: “We know so many of you love feeding your garden birds and some bird species really do benefit from us putting out extra food for them, especially in winter. However, there is increasing evidence that for other birds there can also be negative effects such as the spread of disease, especially among finches.
“As a precautionary measure, whilst we await the findings of the review, we have suspended all our bird tables and related products, table mix and table mix extra, window feeders and feeder guardians with trays, from sale. This is because there is evidence to suggest that some birds, particularly finches, can be more exposed to disease when fed on flat surfaces like these.”.
Many scientists and bird enthusiasts have been worried about the greenfinch, which has experienced a population crash of 63% since 1993 after a severe outbreak of trichomonosis, caused by the parasite Trichomonas gallinae. The bird was put on the red list in 2021, indicating it was at risk. Researchers say transmission of infection is most likely to be through birds feeding one another with regurgitated food during the breeding season, or through food or drinking water contaminated with saliva. Chaffinch populations have also been declining.
