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A duck with angel wing syndrome, which prevents it from being able to fly south for the winter. (Photo credit: Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre)
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As more people stop by to relax by the water, a local wildlife expert is reminding visitors to admire ducks without feeding them.

Amy Wilkie, education program manager at Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, says that feeding ducks and geese, especially with bread, is harmful to the birds, even when intentions are good.

“Bread pretty much has no nutritional value for wildlife at all,” Wilkie says. “It’s basically as if they’re eating like junk food all day long.”

Health risks and unnatural behaviour

Wilkie explains that feeding waterfowl can lead to obesity and even a permanent condition known as angel wing.

“The number one thing that we see in them when they come to our centre is actually a condition called angel wing,” she notes. “You’ll often see geese and ducks that have been fed the improper food. They’ll have one of their wings sticking out at an odd angle.”

She adds that the condition typically can’t be treated, and it’s particularly common in areas with large duck populations and frequent feeding.

Not only is bread physically bad for the birds, but it can also lead to less than ideal situations for people.

“In highly populated places, we often see a lot of aggressive behaviour from that wildlife because they’re so used to being fed from people,” Wilkie says. “It kind of makes them not have their natural instincts to forage or hunt for their own food anymore.”

Natural food sources are best

While it may be tempting to toss a few crusts from a picnic, Wilkie says ducks and geese do just fine on their own.

“Normally they’re eating any sort of vegetation that they would find around the water,” she explains. “A common one that we feed the ducks and geese is actually duckweed. They eat things like lettuce, seeds, but anything that’s processed, especially for humans, is going to be really bad for their health.”

Even feeding so-called “healthier” foods can do more harm than good if it causes birds to associate people with handouts.

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