Expert Says You're Not Helping with This Viral Facebook Trend

A trend meant to assist animals in New York is being labeled as harmful and even deadly by wildlife experts.

With so much intentional misinformation on the internet, it's hard to know what to believe online. That difficulty only increases when the parties sharing harmful ideas are only trying to help. Have you seen the famous "bird nest trend"?

A viral trend on Facebook is meant to help New York birds build their nests. Unfortunately, it may cause more harm than good (David Arment via Canva)

Viral Facebook Trend to Help New York Birds

This specific idea to help local birds seems to have started from a positive place. The suggestion encourages nature-lovers to collect scrap yarn, dryer lint, or even shedding pet hair to leave for birds to use as nest building material. Unfortunately, experts say this trend can cause more harm than good.

Materials like yarn scraps can be dangerous for New York birds to use when building their nests (Canva)

What Items Are Dangerous for Birds in New York State

"We've been seeing a lot of online posts lately suggesting using yarn scraps, twine or other material as outside nesting material for songbirds. While the intentions are good, please do NOT do this", began a post from the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue (below). They went on to describe how string, yarn, and hair can be deadly for an unexpected reason.

Don't Leave Yarn Scraps for Bird Nests in New York

The rescue organization shared that string and hair can either inadvertently tangle around birds' legs or even necks, causing traumatic incidents ranging from loss of limbs to strangulation. Luckily, there are safer alternatives for bird enthusiasts who want to participate in the nest-building process.

Organic materials like grass clippings and straw are great options to offer birds for their nests (Canva)

Bird-Safe Nest Building Items

While items like dryer lint and pet hair are not recommended as nest materials, natural items like twigs, grass, and even feathers from old pillows are all great additions to nearly any bird nest. While they can be gathered into a collection similar to the debunked yarn basket, leaving grass clippings or twigs and straw at the periphery of your yard works equally well.

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Smaller birds may appreciate the additional nest-building help, but larger species are in a class of their own when it comes to building their homes. Eagles, for example, build nests of staggering proportions that could fit many adult humans. Check out more awesome eagle activity below.