Handling Birds

Birds do not carry rabies and do not have any zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted through casual contact such as capture and rescue. Their accumulated droppings may post some health risk (covered in detail in nuisance wildlife chapter). The only real handling threats from birds are from mites, which can jump from the bird to the human or pet birds if in close contact, or injuries from the birds’ beaks, wings, and talons. Most songbirds will do no serious injury, although cardinals will bite and hang on as long as they can. It is best to use a light towel and gardening gloves when handling any birds. For larger birds such as Canada geese, crows, and birds of prey, a larger beach towel or padded jacket should be used. Whenever possible, a trained person with appropriate tools (animal control, falconer, and wildlife rehabilitator) should be called to handle large birds of prey. Any time a bird is handled, it is best to cover the bird’s head so that the bird will not see and be stressed by the predator attacking it (you).

Bird Feeder Sanitation

Diseases such as salmonella and conjunctivitis are spread through overcrowding and poor sanitation at bird feeders. The Fish and Wildlife Service recommends the following feeder sanitation protocol to prevent disease:

• Diseases like salmonella can grow in moldy, wet seed and bird droppings in your trays and on the ground below. Move feeders a foot or so each season to allow the ground below to assimilate the seed debris and bird droppings.

• Keeping your feeders clean should not be a major undertaking. The degree of maintenance required is directly related to the types of birds you want to attract. A thistle feeder for goldfinches should be cleaned about once a month depending on how often it rains. Feeding hummingbirds requires cleaning at least weekly, preferably two or three times a week. Sunflower and suet feeders may be cleaned monthly.

• Feeders made of plastic, ceramic and glass are easy to clean. Wash them in a bucket of hot, soapy water fortified with a capful or two of chlorine bleach, then run through a dishwasher. Use this regimen with wood feeders, but substitute another disinfectant for bleach so wood won't fade.