A small titmouse or chaffinch regularly comes to rest on the edge of your balcony or on a tree in your garden.
Do you want to feed them?
Be careful, what you eat can be toxic to birds.
For their well-being, here are some foods to prohibit so that they can continue to fly serenely, from branch to branch.
Foods that are toxic to birds in the house
The bread
It is not uncommon to see walkers giving bread to birds near parks and lakes.
However, this food is unfortunately not good for their organism, it causes liver dysfunctions.
Indeed, the gluten, salt and yeast that compose it can make the stomachs of birds swell.
They can even cause a condition called
“angel wing syndrome”
.
It is therefore better to avoid offering bread or a sandwich from a fast food restaurant to the birds.
Read also5 birds to observe in your garden in winter
Milk
An alternative to water and yet not without consequences.
Indeed, birds are not mammals, they do not feed on milk during their juvenile period.
Most of the time oviparous, they feed by regurgitation from the crop of their parents.
Their body is therefore not made to digest lactose, especially if it is cow's or goat's milk, for example.
Salt
Salt is a very toxic food for birds.
Distributed in too large quantities, it can lead to dehydration, kidney dysfunction and then death.
It is therefore not recommended to feed the birds with salted crackers, salted butter, crisps, pretzels or salted peanuts.
Read alsoMy cat kills the birds in the garden, what should I do?
Chocolate
White, dark or milk, chocolate always has the same result.
A square placed in a cup will not be the solution to fill the belly of a chaffinch or a sparrow.
Indeed, this food is toxic because of the substance it contains, theobromine, which can have negative effects on the heart, nervous system and digestive system.
The same goes for pastries, candies and other very sweet cakes.
Foods that are toxic to birds in the garden
the lawyer
The whole avocado is toxic (leaf, fruit, seed) to birds, especially parrots and parakeets.
Indeed, the persine contained in this food is harmful to birds.
The consumption of this fruit causes many digestive disorders (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), breathing difficulties and cardiovascular disorders, resulting in the appearance of oedemas.
Read alsoWhat is the cold resistance of an avocado tree?
fly larvae
Very present in gardens, especially in garbage cans and compost, fly larvae (maggots) are very resistant parasites that can perforate the stomachs of birds.
Indeed, birds do not have the ability to digest the larvae because they do not have an acid stomach like that of humans.
Eating maggots leads to bacterial infections like salmonella, parasitic infections like tapeworms, and nutritional deficiencies.
Fruit pips and pits
It is also tempting to offer pips and fruit pits.
But these foods are to be avoided because of the presence of cyanide.
It is a toxic or even fatal poison for birds.
In addition, in contact with the kernel, they can easily break their beaks.
Read alsoWhat seeds to give birds to attract them to the garden?
To note
Castor or flax seeds are toxic to birds.
