this video is proudly brought to you by thewildlife diversity program at the texas parks and wildlife department. most people have memories of visiting localparks or ponds as a child to feed the ducks. it is hard to resist; the ducks follow youaround begging for food but the effect of this seemingly generous act is harmful. feedingducks can create many problems for the birds as well as for the environment. in a natural setting, ducks feed on seeds,aquatic plants and invertebrates such as snails and insects. people typically feed bread,popcorn and chips which lack nutritional value and are a poor substitute for a ducks diet.most ducks at artificial feeding sites suffer
from poor nutrition. feeding attracts large concentrations of ducksbeyond what the natural ecosystem can support. as the population grows, the natural foodsource decreases and the ducks become more dependent upon handouts. feeding ducks canlead to aggressive behavior and competition for food can cause unnecessary stress. ducksin crowded areas tend to defecate in the same location where they are feeding. all of thesefactors can make the ducks more susceptible to disease. high concentrations of ducks can reduce waterquality and have negative impacts on plants and soil. overgrazing of vegetation by theducks can lead to habitat degradation and
soil erosion. large quantities of duck fecescan kill grass and trees and cause unsanitary conditions in public access areas. watching ducks is a great alternative to supplementalfeeding. next time you visit a park or pond, grab your binoculars and camera instead ofa loaf of bread.