Don’t put out pet fur for nesting birds, charity warns.

• Pet owners looking to help birds this nesting season should avoid leaving out dog or cat fur, warns bird charity SongBird Survival.
• University of Sussex research, funded by SongBird Survival, finds harmful chemicals from flea treatments in fur lined nests of blue and great tits. ‍
• Instead, the charity urges the public to install nest boxes as bird breeding season begins and share their expert tips for putting up a nest box.

Pet owners looking to help birds this nesting season should avoid leaving out dog or cat fur, warns independent charity SongBird Survival. Research from the University of Sussex, funded by the charity, has found high levels of harmful chemicals from pet flea treatment in bird’s nests lined with animal fur, leading to increased chick mortality rates. SongBird Survival is now calling on the government to undertake a greater environmental risk assessment of veterinary drugs, so that the public can be confident they are keeping their pets well without potentially devastating impacts on wildlife.

Instead of putting out pet fur for birds, SongBird Survival is urging the public to install nest boxes to provide songbirds with a safe space to raise their young and shelter.

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Susan Morgan, Chief Executive of SongBird Survival, stated:

“Pet fur may seem like a cosy nesting material for birds but, if pets have been treated with flea or tick drugs, it can be seriously harmful. Instead, support songbirds by installing a nest box and give them natural nesting materials by planting long grasses or leaving out piles of grass clippings, twigs, and leaves.”

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Dr Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, Research and Associate Fellow at the University of Sussex and lead author of recent research, says:

“No nest was free from insecticides in our study, and there is clear evidence these are harmful to birds, eggs and chicks. Veterinary flea and tick drugs are the most likely source of contamination. I would recommend that people do not put treated pet fur outside on purpose for birds.”

SongBird Survival’s top tips for nest boxes:

1. Choose the right box and location:

• Boxes with small holes (25mm) attract blue tits, coal tits, and marsh tits; larger holes (32mm) suit pied flycatchers, great tits, and tree sparrows. They need to be 2-4 metres off the ground on a wall or tree.
• Open-fronted boxes, which help robins and wrens should be low to the ground, well hidden behind shrubs.
• ‘Terrace-style’ boxes with multiple entrances should go under eaves, helping sparrow communities. ‍

2. Face nest boxes north or east to avoid overheating in the sun.

3. Plant shrubs beneath nest boxes, ideally spiky ones like gorse or roses, to provide safe landing spots for fledglings and keep away predators.

4. Keep feeders and nest boxes separate to reduce predator attacks.

5. Make boxes predator-proof, adding a metal hole restrictor that stops predators being able to widen the entrance and get in. Make sure your nest box doesn’t have a perch on the outside allowing easy access for predators.

6. Provide natural nesting materials by leaving grass clippings, twigs, moss and leaves. You can also plant ornamental grasses like Molinia, Miscanthus or Cortaderia.

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February marks the start of the UK bird breeding season, making now the perfect time to install a nest box. With National Nest Box Week beginning on February 14th, SongBird Survival encourages everyone to take action to protect songbirds in gardens and local green spaces.

For more tips and a step-by-step guide on helping baby birds if you see one on the ground, visit www.songbird-survival.org.uk.

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Notes to Editors

For more information, please contact Helen Deakin pr@songbird-survival.org.uk at SongBird Survival.

About SongBird Survival
‍SongBird Survival is an independent charity working to change the future of songbirds by funding research into the causes of the decline and creating solutions. More than half of our UK songbirds are threatened or already in decline.  

About flea and tick treatments and nesting birds.
‍Research released on 27th January 2025 from the University of Sussex, funded by SongBird Survival, found high levels of harmful chemicals from pet flea treatment in bird’s nests lined with animal fur, is leading to an increased mortality rate of chicks. The new study shows that the fur birds use to build the inner lining of their nests contained chemicals used in pet flea treatments, such as fipronil. The researchers collected 103 nests from blue and great tits which were lined with fur. They detected 17 out of the 20 insecticides screened. 100% of nests contained fipronil, which was banned in the EU for agricultural use in 2013, and 89% contained imidacloprid, which was banned in the EU as a plant protection product in 2018. They found evidence that these insecticides are harmful to birds, eggs and chicks, with a higher number of unhatched eggs or dead chicks in nests due to a higher number of insecticides.
For more information visit: https://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/categories/birds-and-pesticides

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