Moore, OK Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Section 4-115, the same wild-animal feeding ordinance, carves out a specific allowance for songbirds and other backyard birds, distinct from its blanket ban on feeding wild animals and waterfowl. The section permits feeding songbirds and other backyard birds outdoors, not including waterfowl, but sets three conditions that must all be met: the feeding cannot create an unreasonable disturbance with wildlife, any feed must be placed within a bird feeder with a maximum volume of not more than one cubic foot and positioned at least four feet above the ground, and the feeder must be sited where wildlife other than songbirds and backyard birds cannot reach the feed and cannot turn it into an attractant for wild animals such as raccoons or coyotes.

The ordinance defines a bird feeder as a container, receptacle or apparatus designed for the feeding of songbirds or other backyard birds, so improvised feeding, such as scattering seed or bread directly on the ground, does not qualify for the exception and instead falls back under the section's general prohibition on feeding wild animals. Waterfowl, defined broadly to include ducks, geese, swans and gulls, are never covered by the backyard-bird exception no matter how the feed is presented. A resident who exceeds the one-cubic-foot feeder limit, mounts a feeder below four feet, or places it where raccoons or other wildlife can reach it loses the exception's protection and is exposed to the same penalty that applies to any other unlawful feeding of a wild animal under § 1-108.