Research results show that setting up a feeding platform for wild birds does not lead to an 'unhealthy addiction'
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In winter, when the food for wild birds is low, some people will enjoy watching the birds visiting by placing food stands in the garden or veranda. On the other hand, some are concerned that feeding wild animals 'will lead to unhealthy addiction.' A new treatise published by a research team at Oregon State University found that 'installing a wild bird feeding platform during the winter does not lead to unhealthy addiction.'
Experimentally induced flight costs do not lead to increased reliance on supplemental food in winter by a small songbird
(PDF file) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jav.02782
Don't worry, birds won't become dependent on you feeding them, OSU study suggests | Oregon State University
https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/don%E2%80%99t-worry-birds-won%E2%80%99t-become-dependent-you-feeding-them-osu-study-suggests
There are people all over the world who enjoy feeding wild animals, and in the United States, feeding, feeding stands, and other accessories are an industry of 4 billion dollars (about 440 billion yen). On the other hand, there are concerns that wild animals will learn to feed from humans and fall into unhealthy addiction. A paper published in 2021 points out that in a herd of Moor monkeys inhabiting Sulawesi, Indonesia, positive interactions between individuals are reduced when interacting with humans.
Research results show that human feeding deprives the wildlife community of 'social connections'-GIGAZINE
by Ondrej
Jim Rivers , an animal ecologist at Oregon State University, said, 'The downside of feeding wild birds is that they promote disease transmission, reshape wild bird societies, and route travel. There is even evidence that feeding may change the structure of the wild bird's beetle, but on the plus side, the physical condition of the wild bird, winter survival, and reproduction. There are things like improving abilities, 'he said, pointing out that there are advantages and disadvantages to feeding.
However, it has not been investigated in detail as to whether wild birds depend on human food. Therefore, the research team of Mr. Rivers and others decided to conduct an experiment on the black- capped chickweed distributed in the northern part of the Americas.
The research team divided 67 black-capped chicks into three groups, and clipped the wind feathers '4 pieces from each wing (heavy clipping)', '2 pieces from both wings (light clipping)', and ' It was performed in 3 steps: 'No excision (control group without clipping)'. Birds that have clipped increase the energy cost of flying, so in this experiment it will be difficult to fly in the order of 'heavy clipping] light clipping] control group'.
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After that, 67 black-capped chicks were released tagged with RFID chips. The research team then set up 21 feeding stands over 3.2km on the riverbank where the black-capped chickgrass, which was the subject of the experiment, inhabits. A card reader was attached to this feeding table, and it was a mechanism to detect visits of black-capped chicks tagged with RFID chips.
Black-capped chicks are light in weight and are known to frequently enter and leave the feeding table during the winter, and it is said that one species is usually taken away from the feeding table in one visit. 'The black-capped chickgrass is an ideal species for assessing how energy challenges can cause behavioral changes in'use of food platforms in winter',' said Rivers. increase.
As a result of analyzing the frequency of use of the feeding table by the black-capped chicks in winter, it was found that there was no change such as an increase in the visit rate to the feeding table in the individuals whose energy cost when flying by clipping increased. Rather, it seems that the rate of visits to the feeding platform has dropped, perhaps because he was quiet because he was afraid that predators would find him immediately after clipping.
A few weeks after clipping, he began to visit the feeding platform as much as the control group of black-capped chicks. Still, the researchers say there was little difference in feeding rate visits between non-clipping and clipped individuals.
by Colin Durfee
Regarding the results of this experiment, Mr. Rivers said that the target American willow tit can obtain food in various places other than the food stand, and the clipped individual also covered the increase in energy cost when flying with natural food. Claims to suggest that. 'Our study clearly shows that black-capped chicks did not increase their visits to food or their reliance on food, even when they were most likely to benefit from it,' Rivers said. He said and concluded that the feeding platform did not cause unhealthy dependence.
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