Female Chaffinch - Foot

christina · #1 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 03:50 PM

I took this picture a few hours ago and have just noticed her left foot. Is she standing on a leaf or does she have a diseased left foot? If its a disease, does anyone know how it would have been caused and by what? All suggestions gratefully received thanks.

Cazzie · #2 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 03:59 PM

Holy moses that looks awful!

Sorry, got no idea what it could be but it's sure going to hinder her even more soon poor thing. Can she fly with it like that?

On closer inspection it looks like a huge clump of seeds stuck to her foot, but that can't be right can it?!?

Ollie · #3 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:04 PM

I would say it's a deformity or a growth by the looks of it. It is a thing that seems to happen to Finches occasionally. I have seen photos of this type of thing on here before but can't seem to track down any of the photos.
Roger

christina · #4 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:09 PM

hi Cazzie. Thanks for responding. As I watched her on the terrace she was able to walk ok and it didnt seem to impede her flight. I have zoomed into her feet and her right foot has a couple of lumpy bumps on it. I do ensure that our feeding stations never contain wet food (I wouldnt like to eat rain soaked food lol) but cannot speak for others around here. As you mentioned food, I wonder if its one of those cornflake type flakes and its just lodged onto her foot. I shall keep my eyes open for her in future and keep you posted as and when I see her.

christina · #5 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:10 PM

Thank you Ollie. Do you know whether it's a killer or not?

jdurbo · #6 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:29 PM

Aawww the poor little mite.
I hope it is something just stuck on her foot.
jen xxx

paulchandler6 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:30 PM

Hi, Remember reading somewhere that this can be caused by Mites, insect bites. Not sure what the treatment would be if at all possible. Any vets on WAB? Cheers
I hope its something just stuck on foot that will come off.

Ollie · #8 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christina

Thank you Ollie. Do you know whether it's a killer or not?

I could not say for sure but would not think so. I would imagine this bird has been like this for quite some time. Someone more knowledgeable than me might be able to say
Roger

rolf · #9 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 08:54 PM

It is a wart like growth, seems to mainly affect Chaffinches, have never seen other birds with it, doesn't seem to bother them too much.

However, it is recommended to disinfect feeding surfaces as a precaution against spread of the infection, although it is not really known how transmission occurs.

Quote:

Warts (viral papillomas)

Agent: The Fringilla papillomavirus (FPV).

Epidemiology: The epidemiology of the disease has not been studied.

Species susceptible: Chaffinches and, to a lesser extent, bramblings. In a large survey of birds captured for ringing in the Netherlands, papillomas were found on 330 (1.3%) of some 25,000 chaffinches examined and both sexes were affected. However, cases usually occur in clusters and quite high proportions of local populations may be affected in outbreaks.

Clinical signs: The disease causes warty outgrowths on the foot or tarsometatarsus (the bare part of the leg). Usually only one limb is affected. The growths vary from small nodules to large irregular shaped and deeply-fissured masses which almost engulf the entire lower leg and foot and which can distort the toes. Affected birds usually seem in otherwise good health but some may show signs of lameness and hop mainly on the unaffected foot and digits may be lost. The warts grow slowly and may progress over many months.

Pathology: The growths have a similar structure to warts in mammals and are due to excessive growth of the keratinised layers of the skin.

Risks to human and domestic species: None known.

Diagnosis: The clinical appearance is strongly suggestive but other diseases can cause swellings on the legs and feet: infestation with Cnemidocoptes mites (there is some evidence for an association between mange due to Cnemidocoptes infestations and the occurrence of papillomas), bacterial infections (bumblefoot), poxvirus infections. Diagnosis can be confirmed by histology or detection of papillomavirus particles.

Impact on populations: It seems unlikely that this disease has an impact on population densities.

More

christina · #10 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 09:04 PM

Thank you Rolf for putting my mind at rest, not a nice thing to happen to the little beauties but your explanation eases my mind. I also sent a message to RSPB (The Lodge is just a mile or so down the road) and am awaiting their response. My thanks too goes to all those who posted here.

jdurbo · #11 (**permalink**) 11-08-2007, 07:01 PM

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

jen xxx

Tormentil · #12 (**permalink**) 16-09-2007, 09:30 PM

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

glsammy · #13 (**permalink**) 16-09-2007, 09:35 PM

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 · #14 (**permalink**) 16-09-2007, 09:37 PM

Quote:

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 · #15 (**permalink**) 16-09-2007, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormentil

Mine too was at Whisby.

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

christina · #16 (**permalink**) 17-09-2007, 09:10 AM

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 · #17 (**permalink**) 17-09-2007, 09:37 AM

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 · #18 (**permalink**) 17-09-2007, 04:37 PM

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

jen xxx

workshy · #19 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 02:25 PM

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 · #20 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 06:47 PM

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.

Bramble · #21 (**permalink**) 05-10-2007, 01:29 PM

I'd heard of bumble foot as I have a parrot, but I always thought it was caused by standing on on dirty perches etc, rather than parasites.

christina · #22 (**permalink**) 06-10-2007, 05:15 PM

Hi Bramble

Below is a quote from a guy at RSPB:-

"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. "