How the RSPB is looking after our garden birds

When I first moved into my house many years ago, like so many of us, one of the first things I did was put up a few bird feeders in the garden. Among the Blue Tits, Robins and Blackbirds, it was the Greenfinches that quickly became my firm favourites, with their nasal wheezing and handsome flash of colour. These birds were numerous at first, but over the years have all but disappeared from my local area, and seeing or hearing one is now sadly something of note.

Our long-term science and monitoring work lays the blame for this decline with the disease, trichomonosis, which is caused by a protozoan parasite. The parasite develops in the throat of affected birds and causes problems with swallowing. Although I have never seen a sick Greenfinch in my garden, this disease is almost certainly the reason they now rarely visit.

And the evidence tells another story, too.

We know that many people – myself included – take great joy in feeding garden birds. It helps us feel connected to nature, and for many species, the extra food can be a real lifeline, especially during the harsh winter months. But evidence now also shows that for some species, including finches, feeding can unintentionally do harm. Where many birds gather closely around feeders, the risk of spreading diseases such as trichomonosis increases significantly.

The Greenfinch was added to the UK Red List a couple of years ago and declines are now being seen in other species including Chaffinch and Bullfinch. Faced with this information, the RSPB’s conservation scientists have looked at the latest scientific research on what happens when we feed garden birds, particularly with regards to the spread of disease. You can read more about this research in this issue in our in-depth feature, but the resulting action is that we need to change how we feed our garden birds.

So what are we recommending? The most significant change is to stop providing peanuts and seeds during the summer and autumn months, when natural food sources are more plentiful and disease transmission risks are higher. In addition, we all need to clean our bird feeders regularly – weekly is best – to minimise the build-up of harmful pathogens. Combined with wildlife-friendly gardening, such as planting and creating natural foraging habitats, these measures could make a real difference.

As a precaution, we’ve already been advising not to use flat feeders such as bird tables, where disease risk is highest. Our advice now extends to not feeding certain foods in the summer and autumn. Get full details on how to feed your garden birds.

And this is where you come in. Changing habits – especially something as familiar and widespread as bird feeding – takes time. But as members, you can be at the forefront of this movement for positive change. Protecting the birds we love means being willing to adapt and change how we help as new evidence emerges, and that’s where the strength of RSPB membership truly shines. Together, we can turn science into action, helping species such as the Greenfinch recover and ensuring our gardens remain alive with birdsong. By changing how we feed, keeping feeders clean and, above all, creating richer habitats, we can give wildlife the best chance to thrive. Your membership makes this possible and, with your support, we can continue shaping a future where nature is not only cherished, but genuinely protected and restored.