Nectar better than bread for wild birds

Bird lovers are urging residents to swap bread for fruit and nectar when feeding lorikeets.

Wild rainbow lorikeets go nuts over nectar mixture. Picture: Timothy Clapin

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Bird lovers are urging residents to swap bread for fruit and nectar when feeding lorikeets.

Leumeah couple Hannah McLachlan and Trent Lovegrove said they wanted to raise awareness of healthy alternatives, after they noticed stacks of bread left for lorikeets at Park Central.

“We went down there and there was bread everywhere,” Miss McLachlan said.

“People think they are doing the right thing but it’s really not good for them.

“I’ve seen how much enjoyment people and especially children get out of it, but if they keep getting fed the worst food, the flocks will dwindle and there will be no birds there.”

Hannah McLachlan and Trent Lovegrove with their own pet lorikeet Grace. Picture: Timothy Clapin

Mr Lovegrove’s grandfather was a bird breeder for 42 years, and passed on his love of birds.

The couple said they would like to see increased awareness of what’s healthy for wild birds, and recommended leaving out fruit, seeds or store-bought nectar.

“We’re just trying to educate people on better alternatives to bread and encourage them to feed birds foods they would usually eat in the wild,” Mr Lovegrove said.

Grace eats a lorikeet nectar mixture. Picture: Timothy Clapin

“If the parents are living off a diet of bread then you can only imagine what the babies will be like. It’s like children living off McDonald’s 24/7. They’re not going to be healthy or get the nutrition they need.

“We want people to enjoy feeding the birds but do it the right way.”

Seeds and nectar for Lorikeets can be bought in the pet aisle of grocery stores.