It allowed us to connect with nature, bond with our families and feel as though we were giving back to the wildlife that enriched our neighborhoods and countrysides. Sadly though, this pastime of ours might not have been as altruistic as originally intended. Just as nutritionists have shown that refined, starchy foods make us lethargic and unhealthy, some animal charities now confirm that starchy foods affect waterfowl the same way.

According to experts from two of Great Britain's most popular avian charities, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), waterfowl are becoming malnourished and bloated from the bread, chips and junk food continually being thrown their way by well-meaning families.