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New Feeding Advice Aims to Curb Disease Linked to Chaffinch Decline

Two common chaffinches in Oslo
Conservation · Threats

The RSPB has issued new seasonal advice on feeding garden birds after reviewing evidence that feeding sites can help spread trichomonosis, a disease implicated in the recent decline of the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) in Britain. The guidance, announced on 10 April 2026, asks people to pause putting seeds and peanuts in feeders from 1 May to 31 October and to strengthen hygiene throughout the year.

The advice follows a sharp recent chaffinch decline

RSPB reports a 39% decline in British chaffinch numbers between 2012 and 2022, while BTO’s longer series shows a 26% decrease in the UK breeding population between 1967 and 2024. The larger decline over the shorter recent period is consistent with the longer history: chaffinch numbers had increased by about a third between around 1970 and 2010 before falling sharply. Research reviewed by the organisations links much of the recent decline to trichomonosis, caused by Trichomonas gallinae, a single-celled parasitic organism.

The parasite can spread when infected birds contaminate shared food or water. Feeding stations do not create the disease, but they can concentrate birds around moist food, spilled seed and communal water, conditions that can increase opportunities for transmission.

Seeds and peanuts should be paused from May through October

Under the new guidance, seed and peanut feeders should be left empty between May and October. Small quantities of mealworms, fat balls or suet can still be offered. Feeders should be cleaned and moved at least weekly, waste beneath them removed, drinking and bathing water changed daily, and water containers cleaned weekly. RSPB also recommends retiring bird tables and other flat feeding surfaces where contaminated food can accumulate.

The organisation recommends supporting birds in summer with safer foods and natural resources such as seed-bearing plants and insect-rich vegetation. Anyone seeing a sick bird should temporarily stop feeding, clean the area and report the observation through an appropriate wildlife-health scheme.

The population figures refer to Britain rather than the chaffinch’s full Eurasian range. The new feeding advice is a disease-risk reduction measure based on the available evidence; it has not yet been shown to reverse the population decline.

Sources and image credit

  1. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (2026, April 10). The Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 Results Are In!Primary RSPB announcement of the new seasonal feeding guidance: pause seeds and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October and strengthen feeder hygiene.
  2. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (2026, March 31). The Science of Bird Feeding.RSPB science background for the evidence review, the 39% Chaffinch decline during 2012–2022 and the role of trichomonosis in recent finch declines.
  3. British Trust for Ornithology. (2026). Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs). BirdFacts.Current BTO population context: 26% decrease in the UK breeding population from 1967 to 2024, with the sharp recent decline linked to trichomonosis.

Image: Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia Commons — two common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) in Oslo, Norway, 7 August 2020. Illustrative photograph, not birds from the disease work discussed in the article. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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