Feeding the Ducks – Should We or Shouldn’t We?

Feeding the ducks is one of those classic childhood memories for many of us, but what if we told you that this well-loved pastime is actually doing more harm than good?

You might know that feeding bread to ducks isn’t good for them, but the truth is any food we feed them, even things like, oats or corn, is not going to be positive for them or our environment.

Here in South Australia our local councils are surrounded with beautiful parklands, wetlands, nature reserves and all the local wildlife that comes with them. We have beautiful lakes alongside some of our favourite playgrounds and the River Torrens ebbs and flows through numerous Adelaide suburbs.  You may see families stop to feed the ducks and other birdlife living in these areas, but here’s why we should stop feeding our quacking friends – and other ways you can connect with nature instead.

Animal welfare organisations all agree about the harm feeding bread causes to the health of ducks and the affect it has on their natural behaviour.  They have worked with industry experts to find out what could be done to protect these water-dwelling residents and research showed several common misunderstandings about alternative “duck-friendly foods” among park-users and duck-feeders – wholemeal bread, seedless grapes or duck/chook pellets. While some of these options are kinder on the bird’s digestive systems, the problem of duck-feeding is more complex than diet alone.  

MAKES THEM SICK

When birds eat food that’s not meant for them, like bread or oats, their stomachs aren’t used to it, so they can get really unwell.  Ducks in their natural state don’t typically whip up a bowl of oats for breakfast or a slice of bread for a snack, so even though it seems healthy for you to eat, it’s not healthy for a wild animal who usually eat grasses and insects.

If they continue to eat things outside of their normal diet, it’s going to have a negative impact on their health. And it can also lead to wing and beak deformities, which in some cases can impact their ability to fly and find food.

LEADS TO TOO MANY DUCKS

Feeding ducks encourages other ducks to visit, in the hope that they might get a treat too. But too many ducks in one area causes all sorts of problems, such as a drop in water quality, when too many ducks come to one area, because as blunt as it sounds, they create too much poo!  This can result in generally bad water quality or outbreaks of harmful bacteria such as E-coli. It can also lead to blue-green algae blooms due to increased nutrients in the water from their poo.

Watch the video below:

Ducks are clever little creatures. Left to their own devices, they’ll forage for insects, plants and other natural goodies that keep them healthy and happy. When we feed them, we interrupt that natural behaviour and over time, they can lose the skills they need to survive.

Their reaction to humans tossing seedless grapes and lettuce leaves into the Torrens, for example, can leave babies vulnerable as the mother duck abandons her brood in favour of securing food.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to spend time with local birdlife in a safe and respectful way to ensure the family tradition of spending time around lakes enjoying ducks is not lost.

There are a number of alternate ways for the community to interact with our feathered friends:

• try counting the ducks weaving in and out of the reeds
• test your knowledge and identify the different types of ducks in your local wetland
• watch a duck preen itself waterproof
• time how long the Cormorant spends underwater
• watch the way a mother duck moves her ducklings along

For more information please visit the Green Adelaide website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source:  Green Adelaide / photos by Play & Go

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