Overview
- Experts from Better with Birds urged gardeners on Sunday, May 24, to stop leaving bread out for robins because it can harm adult birds and chicks.
- Bread is described as 'basically junk food' that fills robins with low‑value calories and can reduce their drive to forage for the protein they need.
- Left outdoors, bread can go mouldy quickly and help transmit disease between birds, and even small amounts may seriously damage or kill baby chicks.
- Practical alternatives include protein sources such as mealworms, chopped soft fruit or soaked raisins for occasional use, and simple habitat changes like wildflowers or longer grass to attract insects.
- Because robins are tame and commonly fed by people, changing garden habits now should improve chick growth and survival and reduce disease risk in local bird populations.