Bergenfield, NJ Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Section 344-44C of the Borough Code, in Chapter 344's animal control article, regulates how residents may feed wild birds rather than protecting any particular species. Subsection C(1) makes it unlawful to feed birds by placing food directly on the ground, and Subsection C(2) requires that any bird feeder used instead sit at least five feet off the ground, include a spill tray or otherwise be spill-resistant, and be built to resist rats, squirrels and other nontarget species reaching the feed. The rule sits next to § 344-44B's broader ban on feeding any domestic or wild animal in a way that attracts rats, mice, flies or other vermin, so a Bergenfield resident's bird feeder is judged both on its five-foot height and rodent-resistant design and on whether it draws a vermin nuisance generally.

Section 344-44D separately bans keeping pigeons in outdoor cages or coops anywhere in the Borough, for any purpose at all, whether as pets, for food, for racing or for show, a flat prohibition with no permit path. Enforcement of both provisions runs through the Health Department and Board of Health under Chapter 344's general animal control enforcement, and a resident who keeps a noncompliant feeder or a pigeon coop is in the same posture as one who violates any other subsection of § 344-44.