Can the government stop people from feeding birds?
There are no state public health laws that prohibit people from feeding birds. Also, in most areas there are no local/city ordinances that address this issue. Some home owner’s associations have adopted rules that prohibit excessive bird feeding. Consult your neighborhood home owner’s association (if one exists). If bird feeding is permissible, it is still important to be considerate to your neighbors. People who do enjoy feeding birds are encouraged to do so in open areas such as parks where the attraction of large numbers of birds will be less likely to upset neighbors. It should again be emphasized that recent introductions of H5N1 avian influenza into countries in Europe and Africa are most likely from illegal importation of domestic poultry and not from wild birds.
