Trichomonosis in species other than finch?

[PMG]

The last few years at some point at our 'big' bird table at the caravan - usually autumn we seem to get an outbreak of 'finch disease' Trichomonosis is a parasite (?tiny throat worm?) that causes illness, starvation and death in finches. We clean and disinfect and then stop feeding for a couple of weeks to break the cycle.

Early in November I saw greenfinch, chaffinch and a bullfinch with what are now to us a well recognised range of symptoms: birds so fluffed up that they appear completely round; dirty beaks and bottoms; unable to swallow; regurtitation of food, or food spilling back up as the bird shakes its head; staggering gait, unable to bear its own weight; thirsty and a desire for dark places under the car and caravan as death approaches.

As usual we cleaned up and removed all seed for a fortnight. I went up towards the end of Nov and put food out and within a couple of hours was upset to see two poorly chaffinches and a greenfinch. I brought the food in and cleaned up again. Like any populated area we have the problem that although we stop feeding there may well be others on the site who continue to feed and may be unaware of the problem and don;t break the cycle so we are getting sick birds as soon as we reintroduce food ........

This past few days I have been again and put a small amount of food out and not seen any poorly finches for several days. Then yesterday an obviously poorly great tit turned up? It was fluffed up to a ball, dirty front and back, tried to eat the sunflower seeds but needed to hold the kernal between its toes on the edge of the table. It kept sitting and gazing off into space, then shaking its head and thinking about food again. It could only fly short distances on the level - there was not enough power for it to fly upwards. It could have been brain damaged from glancing off a car - tho its eyes were both open. It could have been bounced and escaped the local sparrowhawk which visits very regularly - or worst case scenario - it had the 'throat disease' and had caught it from the finches? It didn't reappear today and I assume it died last night in the cold.

Has anyone else seen what appears to be Trichomonosis in tits or birds other than finches? I know its already known that pigeons and doves can have it - and their close feeding at bird tables is possibly the original source for the finches.

Pauline

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by PMG

The last few years at some point at our 'big' bird table at the caravan - usually autumn we seem to get an outbreak of 'finch disease' Trichomonosis is a parasite (?tiny throat worm?) that causes illness, starvation and death in finches. We clean and disinfect and then stop feeding for a couple of weeks to break the cycle.

Early in November I saw greenfinch, chaffinch and a bullfinch with what are now to us a well recognised range of symptoms: birds so fluffed up that they appear completely round; dirty beaks and bottoms; unable to swallow; regurtitation of food, or food spilling back up as the bird shakes its head; staggering gait, unable to bear its own weight; thirsty and a desire for dark places under the car and caravan as death approaches.

As usual we cleaned up and removed all seed for a fortnight. I went up towards the end of Nov and put food out and within a couple of hours was upset to see two poorly chaffinches and a greenfinch. I brought the food in and cleaned up again. Like any populated area we have the problem that although we stop feeding there may well be others on the site who continue to feed and may be unaware of the problem and don;t break the cycle so we are getting sick birds as soon as we reintroduce food ........

This past few days I have been again and put a small amount of food out and not seen any poorly finches for several days. Then yesterday an obviously poorly great tit turned up? It was fluffed up to a ball, dirty front and back, tried to eat the sunflower seeds but needed to hold the kernal between its toes on the edge of the table. It kept sitting and gazing off into space, then shaking its head and thinking about food again. It could only fly short distances on the level - there was not enough power for it to fly upwards. It could have been brain damaged from glancing off a car - tho its eyes were both open. It could have been bounced and escaped the local sparrowhawk which visits very regularly - or worst case scenario - it had the 'throat disease' and had caught it from the finches? It didn't reappear today and I assume it died last night in the cold.

Has anyone else seen what appears to be Trichomonosis in tits or birds other than finches? I know its already known that pigeons and doves can have it - and their close feeding at bird tables is possibly the original source for the finches.

Pauline

Kestrels can. Heard about that today, and these were very rural ones, way out on the moors, very sparsely populated area. But they had been feeding their young with ill finches, I guess because they were easy to catch, and it was their young that died.

[PMG]

Oh thats rotten .... I guess the same may be happening to sparrowhawks then? I wonder if anyone is doing any research? Even if there was a vaccine and lets face it who's going to pay to develop that and give it to wild bird around the country ........... Oh what a mess.

[Dogghound]

Trichomonosis has been recorded in a wide variety of bird species and is especially prevalent in social species. In addition to what SheffieldLass has said house sparrows, tree sparrows, buntings, tits can catch it also birds such as pheasants (especially in rearing pens), partridges can catch it. Birds of prey do catch it through the host too. In fact most birds can catch it some are just more prone to it. Collared doves are perhaps one of the greater carriers and I wonder if their increase and association with urban environments has resulted in the increase of Trichomonas in garden bird populations.

Escherichia coli and Salmonella both show similar symptoms so the great tit may have one of these rather than Trichomonosis.

Trichomonosis can not survive outside the host for more than several minutes, it is usually spread directly through feeding (in saliva) hence why young birds as so susceptible, drinking water, shared food, feeding on prey which has it etc. So although cleaning feeders is good practice and helps prevent things such as E.coli, salmonella. The key reason for removing them is to stop infected birds having contact at feeding sites. However it also does not hurt to regularly clean feeders. Trichomonosis can be treated in individual birds but it would be very hard to reduce it in wild bird populations unless of course you could add something to food or water?

The best way to reduce Trichomonosis is to literally stop feeding wild birds at feeding stations as by attracting large numbers you are increasing the likelihood of the disease spreading between birds through saliva on food and droppings on food/water. So a solution is to spread the feeding site over a larger area and have feeders spread out, also rotate where you feed the birds so that a particular area does not become over used. Put food on the ground in different areas and spread it more widely. Water should be changed daily and feeders cleaned daily or taken away if birds are suffering from outbreaks.

You could argue that by not feeding birds at feeding station you will severely reduce this disease but then there is a stand off of birds struggling to find food in winter. I certainly think if you are getting a lot of outbreaks only feed in late winter (Jan, Feb) when natural food is very low.

[Acipiter]

I have never fed birds in this way for this very reason, and went down the root of planting of plants, which in my view is the better way to go. Do feeders carry a warning that they must be cleaned regularly?. If not they should.

[Billabong Karen]

It is a difficult one. I only feed in the winter for this very reason. Have never had any sick birds yet, but am dreading the day.

[PMG]

Thanks for all the extra advice - I will tell his nibs tonight and see if we can do it differently. We will certainly remove the drinking/bathing feature for openers.

I find it odd that our 'outbreaks' are all late autumn and winter occurences - we haven't had it during the breeding season at all and thats over 17 years of continuous feeding (except for the breaks when it does appear).

Pauline

[Billabong Karen]

That's probably when their immune systems are lowest - like humans getting colds and flu in the winter more than in the summer, I suspect.

[Acipiter]

I suspect the cold weather puts a lot of people going out in the cold too. It only takes one person who doesn't clean his feeder to spread this terrible death to our birds.

[FUDGEY]

Is this disease found all over the UK? I ask because I have never heard of any cases in Scotland. Could temperature have any bearing on it?