05/02/2026
WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE FEED WILD BIRDS - ESPECIALLY COCKATOOS:
I appreciate an environment that attracts many and varied wild birds. We are lucky to have several rare and endangered species across the South West Slopes, Riverina and the Central/Southern Tablelands areas.
Do not feed them, (especially cockatoos) even though we are observing drought conditions.
Why?
Poor Nutrition:
The surrounding bushland provides
plenty of nutritious food for cockatoos – their natural diet consists of berries, seeds, nuts and roots. Feeding them non-native or processed foods such as bread, chips or birdseed is bad for their digestion and can make them sick.
Disease:
Overcrowding and bird droppings can spread disease among the cockatoos and other native birds, e.g. Beak and Feather Disease, which can be fatal and is untreatable.
Cockatoos can carry disease which can be transmitted to humans too, e.g. Psittacosis.
When cockatoos are fed in large groups, this can attract vermin feeding on spilt seed, causing more problems by attracting feral pests into the home, and can lead to snakes and other predators who feed on vermin.
Behaviour change:
Feeding the cockatoos can make them demanding and aggressive, causing significant damage to our natural and built environment. It can also make them over-reliant on the food source, meaning they suffer when it’s not available.
Possibly no insurance following damage:
Cockatoo’s congregating where food is provided often results in some extraordinary damage to the home. Cockatoo’s chew antennas, seals, timber, fly screens, walls, doors and more. Repairing this damage is often very expensive - if the damage leads to leaks in your roof or walls, this certainly isn’t ideal. Insurance may not cover damage from pests and vermin, so the best solution is to not attract pests in the first place.
