Do birds die from chewing gum?

Do birds confuse chewing gum with bread?

Concerned animal lovers are once again sending us inquiries about a statement that is once again making the rounds on Facebook. Again, because this already caused a stir in 2014. In one picture you can see two birds, one of which you think is dead on the ground!

"Did you know that?? Chewing gum lying on the ground looks like bread to birds and they try to eat it. It clogs up their entire system and prevents them from absorbing real food or water. So that they die slowly. Share this! Be responsible for your waste.”

Is that correct?

So this report was already in 2012 in America.
Looked like this back then. The image has probably now found its way into German-speaking countries and the text has been adapted!

The photograph of the two birds was taken in 2009 and is part of a whole series of photographs. Here the original:

 

Do birds now eat chewing gum?

After consulting a veterinarian, we were confirmed that birds can distinguish between bread and chewing gum. Your instinct tells you what is edible and what is not. Even if they pick at a piece of gum, your beak might get a little sticky, but the gum doesn't enter the digestive system and therefore won't cause death.

At this point we would like to refer to our colleagues at “ Snopes.com ”. They also took up this topic in 2012 and published a statement from a zoo director:

Abstract:

This week, a CBS 21 News viewer has a question about a sticky situation.
Jerry from Harrisburg writes in an email to CBS 21 News Anchor Mike Parker:
“My wife says that if you throw gum on the street, a bird will eat the gum and die from it.
Will a bird attempt to eat the gum?" For the answer, we took Jerry's question to several Central Pennsylvania wildlife experts, who deal with different species of birds.
In one response, ZooAmerica (Hershey, PA) Director Troy Stump responded via email with the following:
“After careful consideration and discussion among our zoo staff, Here is our conclusion.
Chewing gum, in and of itself, is not and would not be a fatal substance for a bird to ingest and may draw some birds' interest. However, there are many variables, and we know better than to say anything could never happen. It is conceivable that a very small bird could attempt to eat a very large piece of gum. Obviously anything that might be large enough to lodge in an airway, be it bird or human, can be a problem.” Also answering Jerry's question, was Ern Tobias of Lake Tobias Wildlife Park near Halifax, Dauphin County.
Speaking to CBS 21 News over the phone, he said this about his experience with birds and gum … and monkeys: “The birds we have here at the park, it's unlikely that they would even try to eat it.
They might peck at it once or twice, and realize it's not something they want to eat. We've never had a bird die from eating gum. “The monkeys on the other hand, they do pick up gum and eat it, unfortunately. But just like some people swallow gum, I've never seen it hurt the monkeys, either."

References:
SNOPES.com: Gum Kills Birds?
HOAXSLAYER: Can Birds Die From Eating Discarded Gum?
fieldguidetohummingbirds: HOAX: Gum does NOT kill birds

Of course, you generally don't throw rubbish (including chewing gum) on the floor!