Q&A: Feeding Bread

Supporting Birds

[from summer 2025 newsletter]

Question: Is it OK to feed bread to birds?

Answer: No! Please help us spread the word that birds should not be fed bread, popcorn, crackers, chips, cereal, and most processed foods. Bread leads to malnutrition, and stale bread with mold can cause illness.

Feeding bread to waterfowl like ducks and geese can cause a condition called angel wing, where wings twist and deform because a diet of bread causes feathers to grow faster than bone structure, making them unable to fly.

Uneaten bread left on the ground or floating in rivers and ponds can also be problematic for the ecosystem.

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