Female Chaffinch - Foot

[jdurbo]

Aaaaahhhhh i really hope the little chaffinch is ok and there are no more with it!!!

jen xxx

[Tormentil]

This chaffinch has both legs affected. Is it the same disease?

[glsammy]

I've also got a shot of a finch with the same problem:





I didn't notice it at the time, only when I edited the image. This was taken at Whisby Nature Park.

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by glsammy

I've also got a shot of a finch with the same problem:

I didn't notice it at the time, only when I edited the image. This was taken at Whisby Nature Park.

Mine too was at Whisby.

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by Tormentil

Mine too was at Whisby.

It certainly makes you think it's contagious, two birds from the same site.

[christina]

It certainly looks the same but not so severe, probably in the early stages.

I sent my pic off to RSPB and here is their response:-

"Chaffinches are often seen with a parasitic condition known as bumble foot or a fungal attack called 'fur foot'. The infection is not directly fatal but it can cause a loss of agility and make the individual vulnerable to predators. Advanced infections can cause the loss of toes but there is evidence that the birds can recover naturally. I even received an image of a male chaffinch that had lost all his toes, yet the bird was clearly in good condition. Unfortunately, there is no way of treating wild birds even though there are treatments available for captive birds. "

My little lady chaffinch has been back since the last pic was taken and her foot now resembles one of the bell shaped seed feeders for budgies....It still doesnt appear to bother her at all, she is still very quick to fly away when disturbed and hops around as if it wasnt there. We are keeping the bird table scrubbed to prevent the infestation of other finches.

Take care all am off to Glioucestershire, Devon and Cornwall for a few weeks, hopefully we will get some really nice photos.

[mammalman]

Hi, this is a condition known as bumble foot and is caused by parasitic mites. It is not normally a problem to the bird unless it gets infected or grows really large.

[jdurbo]

Good grief i hope this is not something else thats going around!!

jen xxx

[workshy]

Hi all, I noticed this for the first time last year on a male chaffinch. He carried on flying well, but then I stopped seeing him.
This year I have seen at least 3 females and a male in my garden that appear to have the condition. One female started looking very sorry for herself and appeared barely able to fly. I was able to catch her easily and had a good look at the leg. It was covered in a pale fibrous scaly growth. However i was not holding onto her very tight as she suddely flew over the fence and over a good 30 ft tree. I didnt see her around for a few days, but have since seen a few similarly affected birds, some with both legs affected. I hope it was not caused by my feeders, but obviously may have helped in spreading it to others. I disinfect everything more often now.

[galanthus]

At my old house we had a male chaffinch with a very similar but smaller foot deformity. It seemed to eat well and we watched it interact with the other birds quite normally, we expected it to be shunned by the others. I think it came for a week or two on and off.