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The joy of feeding birds

Who’s getting more out of this human-animal interaction – the birds or us?

Humans have been accidentally feeding wild birds for millennia; any leftover food scraps to be scooped up by opportunistic, feathered friends.

The deliberate feeding of birds, however - placing seeds out on a feeder in the garden, taking crumbs to a nearby park or lake – is a more recent, cultural phenomenon. In some countries, it has deep significance and one of the most popular ways humans interact with wild animals – and it’s big business. In other places, it’s practically unheard of.

So, why do humans feed wild birds?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander delves into the many aspects of this human-animal interaction and asks the question; who’s benefiting more, the birds or us? Ruth speaks to urban ecologist, Dr Darryl Jones, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and to keen bird feeders Dan DeBaun, in Minnesota, US; Fung Sing Wong in Singapore; Bylgja Valtýsdóttir in Reykjavík, Iceland; and Antony Tiernan, in Surrey, UK.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Blue tit on garden feeder. Credit: Getty Images/´óÏó´«Ã½)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

Available now

32 minutes

Last on

Sun 5 Mar 2023 08:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 2 Mar 2023 04:32GMT
  • Thu 2 Mar 2023 05:32GMT
  • Thu 2 Mar 2023 11:32GMT
  • Thu 2 Mar 2023 21:32GMT
  • Thu 2 Mar 2023 23:32GMT
  • Sun 5 Mar 2023 08:32GMT

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