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Birding/feeding Florida ducks

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Expert: - 7/24/2007


Question
I would like to offer some information to our apartment complex and residents about feeding the ducks around our pond.  The ducks are no longer afraid of my beagle or people.  What are the harming effects of feeding ducks bread or other human food?  I heard they cannot digest it, etc...

Answer
If the ducks have alternate sources of good food, some human junk food won't hurt them. But if they are depending on bread and human junk food, they will deteriorate. I'd suggest getting some Purina Duck Chow or something like that and making it available to the residents to feed the ducks and everybody will be happy, I think.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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