Most parks lose their crowds in the fall, when vacations end and the children go back to school. The ducks keep the park alive. It is easy to feel sorry for the ducks as the cold winter arrives, wanting to feed them. However, feeding the ducks endangers their health and survival, and it can harm humans too.
Feeding the ducks contributes to poor nutrition, pollution, viral outbreaks, rodents, overcrowding and delayed migration. It can kill them and interfere with their natural habitat.
This is because wild ducks rely on the environment to find fish, plants, and other natural sources of food. Ducks will eat almost anything. When we feed the ducks, they learn to rely on humans for food, and are not able to find it on their own. In addition, the bread or other food is junk food for ducks. It fattens them up, and they are not able to fly with the added weight. They need those wings to fly to escape predators, find food, migrate, and mate.
Wild ducks at the park do not have the advantage of domestically grown ducks, so they need to rely on their habitat to find food. People feeding them picnic food or an old loaf of bread, can cause stomach cramping from particles like seeds and nuts. They are unable to digest it.
Ducks, like other wild animals, find food and survive in the winter if they are not disturbed in their habitat.
In the fall, the ducks fatten up for the winter. Fall time is the worst season to feed them. By allowing them to hunt their own food, this allows them to stay healthy and learn to survive in the wild, especially winter.
Healthy ducks put on an additional insulating coat that protects them from hypothermia. Oil glands coat the feathers, and waterproof the duck from the cold pond. They will paddle with one foot, while the other rests in a feather pocket, switching when the one foot gets too cold. Ducks brought to a cold region from a tropical region will not survive in the winter because of the lack of experience. In addition, ducks wanting to migrate to other areas during the winter will lag behind if humans sway them with food. If humans feed the ducks, the ducks will not learn to survive in the cold and find food on its own.
Any leftover food, like crumbs and other debris either attract rodents or end up rotting on the ground. The rodents, raccoons, and other animals cause problems for local residences. The rotting food forms a deadly mold called Aspergillus, fatal to ducks and to humans with weakened immune systems. This mold can also cause Duck Virus Enteritis. It only takes one outbreak of this to kill all of the ducks.
The ducks will defecate more from feeding the ducks. This will kill the fish and other creatures in the pond. Those creatures are their potential meals.
Behavior changes also occur within the habitat when humans feed the ducks. The ducks become aggressive and increase fighting among the others. Aggression is normally only used in mating.
It is a good idea to check with the local parks and recreation centers for advice on feeding the ducks. Some parks offer special foods on occasion. The ducks are there for enjoyment. Let’s keep them healthy and happy, and enjoy their entertainment.
Source: The Duck Handbook, Barron”s Educational Series; Rev Ed edition (July 5, 2005)
