For millions of garden bird lovers, the instinct is simple: put out seed and wait. But rspb is asking for the opposite during the warmer months, arguing that a familiar act of kindness can become a disease risk when birds gather tightly around feeders. Its message is not to stop helping altogether, but to change when and how food is offered. That shift matters because the charity says warmer conditions can turn feeders into hotspots, especially for species already under pressure from trichomonosis.
Why the rspb says timing matters now
The charity’s latest advice is to pause seed and peanut feeding from 1 May to 31 October. Instead, it recommends “feed safely, feed seasonally, ” with only small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet offered for a day or two at most. The concern is not abstract. The rspb says a single infected bird can contaminate a feeder through saliva and droppings, creating a point where disease can spread quickly. In warmer months, that risk rises because trichomonosis can survive longer and move more easily between birds.
That warning is tied to visible decline. Greenfinches, once a common garden sight, have fallen by two million and are now on the red list of endangered birds. The disease has also affected chaffinches, and the rspb says the issue is serious enough to justify a seasonal pause in the way people feed birds. In its view, the problem is not feeding itself, but feeding in a way that concentrates birds in one place when infection pressure is highest.
What the disease spread tells us about garden habits
Trichomonosis affects the mouth, throat and upper digestive tract of birds, making it harder for them to eat, drink or breathe. Infected birds shed the parasite in saliva and droppings, which can contaminate food sources when birds feed together. It can also pass directly to chicks when adults regurgitate food. That chain of transmission helps explain why the rspb is focusing on feeders in the warmer months, when birds are active and food-sharing can be frequent.
The scale of human feeding is also central to the debate. More than 16 million households are thought to put out food regularly, with an estimated one bird feeder for every nine birds that use them. Separate figures cited by the charity suggest Britons spend about £380 million a year on bird food, amounting to more than 150, 000 tonnes annually. The rspb says that volume is large enough to sustain three times the breeding populations of the ten commonest garden species if it were relied on alone all year round.
rspb guidance, and the trade-offs behind it
The new advice does not ask people to abandon birds. It asks them to change the format of help. Weekly cleaning is now part of the core message, along with moving feeders to a different location after each clean where possible, so contaminated debris does not build up beneath them. Water should only be provided if it can be changed daily, and fresh tap water should be used. Bird baths should also be cleaned every week.
The rspb says research suggests the risk of transmission is higher on flat surfaces, where contamination can accumulate. That is why it stopped selling flat feeders at the beginning of last year and advised that they should no longer be used, effectively giving a “fond farewell” to traditional bird tables. The charity also says bird-friendly planting, including sunflowers, teasels and ivy, can provide seasonal food and support insects that many garden birds need when feeding chicks.
Expert view and broader impact
Beccy Speight, chief executive of the rspb, said: “Feeding birds is something millions of us love and value, but the science shows us that birds such as greenfinches have been affected by the spread of disease at feeders. We’re not asking people to stop feeding, just to feed in a way that protects birds’ long-term health. By making small changes together, we can ensure garden feeding continues to be a positive force for nature. ”
The wider implication is that ordinary household habits can shape wildlife health at scale. The rspb’s latest Big Garden Birdwatch results show greenfinches have dropped from seventh place in 1979 to 18th in 2025, reinforcing the sense that a long-running trend has become a conservation concern. The charity believes changing habits may be difficult and unpopular, but it is framing the issue as a practical trade-off: less concentrated feeding in summer, and safer feeding year-round where food is still offered. If garden bird care is meant to protect wildlife, what happens when the kindest habit needs to be rewritten?
