Amidst concerns that garden bird feeders may contribute to the spread of diseases affecting finches, Professor Richard Gregory (UCL Biosciences) writes in The Conversation about how to safely feed birds outside UK homes. The outbreak of a mysterious and deadly disease in finches in British gardens in 2005 set alarms bells ringing for conservationists. A decade later, the extent of that disease in greenfinches and chaffinches was reported . And now, bird scientists are beginning to understand