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How bird feeders may be behind a sharp decline in beloved UK creatures — and how you can help curb the trend

The Independent·Hannah Stephenson·22 days ago
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#birds#garden#seed#food#feeders#photo
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Greenfinches, once a common sight in British gardens , have seen their numbers plummet by almost two-thirds in the past decade, according to recent Big Garden Birdwatch results . This drastic decline has placed them on the conservation “list”, with wider UK surveys revealing a loss of more than two million birds since the mid-Nineties. In response, the RSPB is urging the public to pause feeding birds seed mixes and peanuts between May and October. This aims to curb the spread of trichomonosis, a parasitic disease transmitted via infected saliva or regurgitated food, often at garden feeding stations. Adrian Thomas, an RSPB wildlife gardening expert, notes that while the disease historically affected pigeons as “canker”, it “appears to have jumped to finches,” now posing a significant threat. A Greenfinch perched on a teasel (Alamy/PA)) Chaffinches have also become prone to it and there’s an indication that bullfinches might have got it, so it may be moving through the finch family, he observes.…

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