Bird-safe Halloween decorations

If you celebrate Halloween, here’s how to make sure it’s a bird-friendly one

It’s spooky season!

For those of us who celebrate it, Halloween is fast approaching – but Halloween decorations can be a horror story for birds and other native wildlife.  

Today, scientists estimate that around 30% of Australian bird nests incorporate human-made materials. And with spooky season coinciding with swooping season and the breeding season for many Australian birds, it’s important to be mindful of what materials you might be making available to them. 

The do’s and don’ts of Halloween decorations

Keep it natural!

When birds weave non-biodegradable materials into their nests ‒ like fishing line or polymer rope – it means that their nestlings are more likely to get tangled up, which can cut off their circulation as they grow.

The fine threads within cotton wool and human hair mean that these also pose a risk of entanglement, as does fruit tree netting: which should have a mesh size of 5mm x 5mm (or less at full stretch). 

If you’re trick-or-treating, be mindful of litter: birds like magpies, ravens and bowerbirds might be drawn to the shiny wrappers of lollies and could ingest or choke on them, so dispose of any loose wrappers.

More plastic materials also means a higher risk of plastic accumulating in the guts of young birds. Meanwhile, plastic pollution is a growing threat to birds – so try to choose natural materials instead of harmful plastic decorations for a fun and eco-friendly DIY Halloween. Cardboard cut-outs are also a fun and safer alternative.

DO use natural materials, such as: 

✔️ Straw
✔️ Sheep’s wool
✔️ Sticks and twigs
✔️ Leaves and other organic garden waste.

DO NOT use:

X Fishing line
X Rope/string/twine/yarn
X Cotton wool
X Balloons
X Fruit tree netting 

Avoid fake spiderwebs

Fake spiderwebs – especially those made from synthetic fibres – spell bad news for birds and other native wildlife. These decorations can entangle and entrap unlucky birds, and risk causing serious injury or even death by strangulation or restricted blood flow, so it’s safest to avoid them entirely.

Injuries caused by entanglement aren’t always obvious: so if you do find a bird or other animal caught in a web, take it to your nearest vet or wildlife carer for evaluation.

Decorate your windows

Since birds can’t recognise glass as a solid object or barrier, transparent windows are essentially invisible to them. The best way to prevent birds hitting your windows is to make them less reflective or transparent – so why not make your own spooky window decorations to help your local native birds this Halloween!

Draw or print some ghoulish designs of your own in a high contrast colour and cover the entire outside surface of the window with them, leaving no more than 5–10 cm between each shape.

Celebrate Halloween with these five spooky Australian birds.