Farmers and consumers alike have long worried that any trace of bird droppings on lettuce spells disaster for our salads.
New research suggests that fear might be overblown. Tiny spots from small birds, it turns out, aren’t as hazardous as many believed, offering a bit of relief to growers who want to keep wildlife around their fields.
According to Rachel Beyer, researchers at the University of California, Davis found that small bird droppings pose minimal risk to crops.
This challenge to the common assumption that wildlife automatically brings harmful bacteria has big implications for sustainable farming.
Scientists noted that the danger is more tied to the size of the dropping rather than the bird species: bigger droppings from turkeys or geese are far likelier to harbor pathogens than those tiny white flecks left by sparrows or bluebirds.
The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, suggests farmers could safely harvest up to 10% more of their crops by skipping no-harvest zones around small droppings.
Lead author Austin Spence explained that “if it’s the size of a quarter, don’t harvest near that. If it’s a tiny white speck, it’s very low risk.”
Meanwhile, UC Davis professor Daniel Karp emphasized there’s no evidence that removing natural habitats improves food safety.
That’s good news for environmentally conscious growers, who often hesitate to clear out wildlife habitats simply to keep droppings away from produce.
It’s time to embrace farming methods that balance nature with food safety. Whether you’re a backyard gardener or a commercial grower, consider letting small birds be part of the landscape instead of trying to drive them away.
By protecting wildlife habitats, we can reduce waste, preserve biodiversity, and still deliver safe, nutritious greens for everyone.
This article by Nicholas Vincent was first published by One Green Planet on 26 February 2025. Lead Image: Image Credit :Erni/Shutterstock.
What you can do
Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $1. Choose what it will be used for:
forests, oceans, wildlife or climate.
Our conservation partners spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising.
