Some birds are eating dog poop. This has been observed by bird and dog owners, and I’ve noticed many people on social media discussing whether “birds eat dog poop”.
In this article, you will learn if birds are indeed eating dog poop, and you will explore why they are doing so. whether there are any benefits or negative impacts on their health. Additionally, we will identify the specific birds that engage in this behavior.
To make you navigate the article easily and enjoy while getting this information, I prepared a table of contents where all of our topics and questions are answered.
Table of Contents
Do Birds Eat Dog Poop
Birds eating dog poop is not one of their behavior or a common behavior. but In certain situations, yes we can see birds eating dog poop because of food scarcity, a hungry bird may eat everything in front of him including dog poop.
Hunger may not be the main reason why birds eat dog poop as some birds can eat it even if there are lot quantities of food near them and they are not hungry such as seagulls and magpies.
What Birds Eat Dog Poop?
As I already mentioned eating dog poop by birds is not a common behavior but some bird species love to eat it even if the food is available and they eat dog poop without any logical reason.
I will give you guys a list of the most observed birds that consume dog poop without any known reasons :
- European starlings
- Seagulls
- Magpies
- Common pigeons
- House sparrows
Why Do Birds Eat Dog Poop?
There is no agreed-upon main reason why birds eat dog poop but there are most logical possibilities that many try to explain:
The first possibility is when the bird is hungry and there is no food, in this case, they will eat everything they find in front of them and you can see your bird or a wild bird eat dog poop.
The second possibility is the dog poop Nutrient content, as dog poop is considered heavy on vitamins especially young dog poops because they have small digestive paths and their food is high quality, so the bird will eat their poop due to its content.
The third possibility is the stomach worms in the dog poop, if a dog suffers from worms, mostly they will be found in its poops 90%, so birds maybe will look for these worms to eat them.
The fourth possibility is nest building using dog poop, when birds build their nests they use everything such as grass, and plumage and it may contain dog poop.
Nutritional Benefits of Dog Poop for Birds
Dog poop is not a meal for birds and I don’t recommend or suggest providing it for your birds but it contains nutritional benefits, especially the young dogs who have a small digestive path that is not effective enough to consume all food nutrients.
Just notice that not all dog poops are the same, their poop nutrients vary depending on the high or low quality of food they eat. at most times the food for young dogs is often of high quality.
High-Quality Dog Food
Food intended for young dogs usually is high quality and contains a lot of benefits to fit the nutritional requirements of a canine, because dogs in this period need a full completed meal that contains vitamins, Minerals, Carbs, Calcium, and all that the dog’s body needs.
But a young dog’s digestive path is not effective enough to consume all of these nutrients and they take it out of their body by pooping. So their poops will contain all the food Nutritional that their body didn’t benefits from.
If a bird came and eats from dog poop, of course, he will take all these nutrients that the dog got out through pooping including what I already mentioned vitamins, Minerals, Carbs, and Calcium…
Peanut butter attracts birds into dog poop
Many people claim that if dog poop contains peanut butter it will attract birds and they will eat from it and then benefit from it, but let me tell you my friend this is just a rumor and a lie.
Peanut butter is considered safe and one of the main sources of healthy fats for birds as they actually love to eat it but it does not attract birds when it is in dog poop because it’s pass-through the digestive path until it lost its smell and taste before the dog get it out by pooping.
Health Risks of Birds Eating Dog Poop
Dog poops although it contains some food nutrients but the risk of eating it is more than the benefits. Because it contains harmful bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens.
Bacterial Infections
If the bird eats dog poops a lot it contains bacterial Infections that will affect his digestive path with Salmonella or Campylobacter that will cause gastrointestinal infections in birds. and these infections can cause also a variety of symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.
Toxic Substances
Maybe dogs can eat some medicine for a specific illness or have consumed substances that could be toxic to birds. for example sometimes when I give my dog medicals to clean his digestive path, it is good for my dog but it’s not the same for birds.
Spread of Diseases
Eating dog poop can transmit dog diseases to the bird that eats his poops and then may transmit it to other birds or even to humans and then it will be a huge problem.
Environmental Impact
In addition to the direct health risks to birds, dog poop presence can transmit viruses to humans and nature by water or air, then everyone will be affected including animals, birds, and humans. So please when your dog puts his droppings you should take it in a plastic bag and clean the place.
Other Animals That Eat Dog Poops
If you think that birds are the only ones who are eating dog poops, you are false my friend because many other animals eat dog poops for the same reasons that we already mentioned above and these animals are the following: Pine martens, foxes, skunks, raccoons, cats and even dogs themselves. Why are you wondering? Yes, you can see a dog eating another dog’s poops.
This function in animals can help nature a little but it will affect these animals and birds as well, and to notice some animals can eat dog poops without any health risks.