Please don't feed the birds!

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is a well-known haven for a variety of birds and other animals. Along with nearby parklands, the Royal Botanic Gardens provides plenty of natural foods and habitat for these ‘wild’ animals. We ask visitors to respect their wild nature and help us to keep them healthy by not feeding or handling them.

It is also an offence under the Royal Botanic Gardens Regulations 2004 to feed any animals in the Gardens including birds, reptiles, amphibians or fish.  For further details on the Regulations please click here. 

Why you should not feed birds in the Gardens?

Giving birds (or other wildlife) inappropriate foods, such as bread, is unnecessary and potentially harmful. These foods can cause dietary problems, leading to sickness or malnutrition.

If birds become dependent on an artificial food source, young birds may not be taught how to forage for natural foods and so risk starvation. When supplementary food is readily available year-round the natural cycles of migration (which are largely determined by seasonal food supplies) may also be disrupted.

Feeding birds makes direct contact with birds more likely. This can increase the risk of people catching diseases that birds can carry.

There are other ways to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens’ birds.

Please ask at the Visitor Centre for our current guided Bird Walks. For information and bookings phone the Visitor Centre on (03) 9252 2429

Pick up an information sheet on commonly seen birds in the Gardens – available from the Visitor Centre, RBG Melbourne.

Observe the birdlife as you walk around the Gardens. Watch how they forage for food, mate, make their nests. Bring your binoculars to help you enjoy more detailed observations. Look for clues as to their presence, such as half-eaten fruit or droppings on the ground.

So, enjoy watching the birds, take photos of them, but please do not feed or handle them.