[TN-Bird] Re: sick finches
- From: "Jean Obrist" <innisfreehorses@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <baumgrdner@xxxxxxx>, "tn-bird" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:25:28 -0500
If anyone would like to see pix of a male goldfinch with MG, I have some taken
last summer. In summer of 2007, I had several purple finches with MG, but
haven't seen any this year. Jean Obrist
----- Original Message -----
From: baumgrdner@xxxxxxx
To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 4:06 PM
Subject: [TN-Bird] Re: sick finches
Pennsylvania Wildlife Series
House Finch Conjuctivitis
Normal Male House Finch
Diseased Female House Finch
If you are seeing house finches with crusty, watery, or
infected-looking eyes at your bird feeder, then you are not alone. A
new condition called house finch conjunctivitis that was first
discovered during the winter of 1993 - 1994 is spreading through feeder
bird populations in the eastern United States, affecting mainly house
finches. Symptoms of the disease include scabby, swollen, runny,
cloudy-looking, or glassy eyes, mucous oozing from the nostrils, and an
upper respiratory infection. Some sick birds recover, while others
become blind and die of starvation, or fall as prey to cats and hawks.
How will I know if this disease is at my bird feeder?
Any of the conditions listed above probably indicate house finch
conjunctivitis. Although many different bacteria, fungi, viruses, and
parasites can cause eye inflammation and disease, lab tests have
confirmed that this conjunctivitis outbreak is caused by Mycoplasma
gallisepticum, a well-known bacterium.
What does Mycoplasma gallisepticum do to birds?
Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection was formerly confined to
domestic birds such as chickens and turkeys. Recently, this disease may
have evolved into a new strain that affects house finches and possibly
other songbirds. Symptoms in domestic birds are very similar to those
in house finches, and include cloudy eyes, swollen sinuses, sticky
nasal mucous, coughing, sneezing, and labored breathing. Domestic birds
that are MG-positive spread the disease to each other through exhaled
respiratory droplets and in their feces, or to the young during egg
formation. This may have serious implications for wild birds, because
the disease could persist from generation to generation and become
firmly established in eastern house finch populations. At this time,
however, no one knows if house finches are affected by MG the same way
as poultry.
What happens to infected house finches?
The disease is usually present in one eye first and then spreads
to both. Sick finches may appear mangy-looking, lethargic, disoriented,
or weak, and are often alone at feeders. Severely ill birds may not fly
at all, and often remain on the ground pecking at seeds dropped from
the feeder above. Finches with partial vision loss may fly into bird
feeders and windows, or allow bird watchers to get close. The infection
apparently causes some discomfort, as diseased birds wipe their eyes
frequently on branches and bird feeders, which may enhance the spread
of the disease.
What wild birds are affected by house finch conjunctivitis?
As its name implies, this new condition is mostly limited to
house finches. Although there are reports of other common feeder birds
such as chickadees, titmice, and sparrows with house finch
conjunctivitis symptoms, these cases are rare, and have not been tested
in the laboratory. Studies at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
concluded that other songbirds are rarely affected by this new strain
of MG. Humans and other mammals will not catch conjunctivitis from
contact with sick birds because MG is an avian disease only.
Why is the house finch in particular susceptible to this disease?
No one knows why house finches are more likely to contract this
disease than other birds. The house finch, a native of the western
United States, was accidentally introduced to the eastern United States
in 1940 when a New York city pet store owner released illegally-held
finches to avoid prosecution. Within forty years, the group of finches
bred, multiplied, and established itself throughout the eastern United
States. The marvelous adaptability of the house finch and its varied
habitat requirements enhanced rapid colonization of the east. However,
inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity resulting from the small
number of individuals that started the eastern population may make
these finches less resistant to new diseases than other species.
Researchers speculate that finches may have been first exposed to the
disease in poultry yards where they foraged for food.
What areas has house finch conjunctivitis spread to?
Through phone calls to state wildlife agencies, university
animal disease labs, Cornells Project FeederWatch, and to Pennsylvanias
extension wildlife specialist, house finch conjunctivitis has been
reported in forty-three Pennsylvania counties. Although not all
counties reported diseased finches, the distribution of MG in house
finches is now state-wide. The disease is also present in Virginia,
Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Illinois, Maine, and
Michigan, and is rapidly spreading west, south, and north.
What can I do to prevent the spread of the disease?
Researchers do not know how house finch conjunctivitis is spread
from one individual to another, which makes it difficult to provide
specific recommendations on how to reduce the risk of disease. In
poultry, the infection can be spread in the air. If this is the case
for finches, there may not be much you can do to reduce disease
transmission except to avoid practices, such as bird feeding, that
concentrate large numbers of finches in a small area. If infected house
finches are frequenting your feeder, termination of feeding is one
option, but this could actually increase the occurrence of MG, because
sick finches will travel to other areas, bringing the disease with
them. The best way to reduce the potential spread of MG and other
feeder bird diseases is to adhere to the following guidelines. Clean
feeders on a regular basis with a ten percent bleach solution. Avoid
feeding moldy seed, and keep the ground area around the feeder as clean
as possible. During the summer, this involves raking the area to remove
accumulated seeds beneath the feeder. During the winter, shovel fresh
snow over the area. Providing ample feeder space to reduce crowding and
using non-porous plastic, metal, or glass feeders that are easy to
clean is also helpful. If you use a platform feeder, only put out
enough seeds that can be consumed within a day or two. Finally, dont
wait until there are sick birds present to implement these precautions.
What should I do if I find dead birds at my feeder?
Dead birds can be disposed of by burying them or wrapping them
in plastic bags and placing them in the trash. Gloves should be worn,
because even though Mycoplasma gallisepticum is not transmissible to
mammals, several other feeder bird diseases are. Wash hands, clothes,
and boots after handling dirty feeders or any birds. Once the dead
birds are removed, the feeder should be cleaned, disinfected, and moved
to another part of the yard. Old seeds and droppings should be swept
up, and the feeder filled with fresh seeds. These practices will reduce
the probability of healthy birds becoming infected from contact with
feces or contaminated seed.
Is there any way I can help sick birds?
Although well-meaning individuals may want to take in and try to
cure diseased finches, this is not recommended. It is illegal to
possess any wild birds without proper permits from the Pennsylvania
Game Commission, and the success of treatment attempts by wildlife
rehabilitators has been limited. Studies have shown that some birds can
get better on their own, so the best thing to do is to leave sick
finches alone, and try to prevent further spread of the disease through
the steps mentioned previously.
Will the house finch disappear from the eastern United States?
Highly unlikely. Although the disease occurs throughout the
range of the eastern house finch, reports of sick birds indicate that
only a small percentage of the flock shows signs of infection. Even
though MG may become established in wild finch populations, the birds
probably evolve with it. The excellent adaptability of the house finch
that established it as an eastern breeding bird will probably ensure
its future at our feeders and in our towns.
Since house finches and purple finches look alike, how can I tell them apart?
House finches are often confused with purple finches, although
their habitat requirements are different. House finches live in a
variety of habitats, especially urban areas, and nest in both
evergreens and man-made structures. Purple finches are found in
coniferous or mixed woodlands, parks, and orchards. Telling the species
apart is not difficult to the trained eye, but may be confusing to the
beginning bird watcher. The male purple finch is robust, and appears to
have an overall raspberry stain, whereas the male house finch is more
slender, with its red breast clearly set off from its streaked
underparts. The male house finch has faint white wing bars and a
conspicuously streaked belly and flank, while the male purple finch has
pinkish wing bars and an unstreaked belly and flanks. Female house
finches have an overall dusky appearance, with the breast streaking
blending into a dark background. Female purple finches have prominent
dark streaking on a whitish belly, and a white line above each eye.
Both male and female purple finches have conspicuous brown patches
behind their eyes, while house finches lack this distinctive feature.
Even though these two birds are closely related, the
conjunctivitis-like Mycoplasma infection seems to be mainly affecting
the house finch.
Acknowledgments:
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and
the Pennsylvania Game Commission provided data on the occurrence and
spread of house finch conjunctivitis. Partial funding for this fact
sheet was provided by the Wild Resource Conservation Fund.
This publication was prepared by:
Regina R. Allen, Wildlife and Fisheries Science Program
Margaret Brittingham, Associate Professor of Wildlife Resources
1997
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
Cleveland, OH
-------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ARCHIVES
TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
MAP RESOURCES
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Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
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