Garden bird conservation
Garden bird feeding has become very popular in the UK and many other countries.
Sparrow and bluetit in Ravens Cage The Garden Bird Health initiative aims to promote the conservation and welfare benefits of the supplementary feeding of garden birds in two ways.
These are through publishing science-based best practice guidelines on feeding garden birds and through promoting research to support future improvements. Disease outbreaks occur quite commonly in garden birds and the research will begin by investigating the causes and prevention of diseases.
ZSL is a partner in this project, and is co-ordinating the three-year research to investigate key factors that affect garden bird health.
Other collaborators on the GBHi include the BTO, RSPB, Scottish Agricultural College, University of Liverpool, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre, the garden bird care industry and Defra.
