Parasitic disease poses threat to greenfinches

ROGER RATCLIFFE Published: 07:00 Wednesday 10 January 2018

The most troubling development in the world of garden birds in recent memory has been a steep decline in numbers of greenfinches caused by a disease known as Trichomonosis. 

Pigeon fanciers call it “canker”, while to falconers the condition is “frounce” but whatever the species the effect is identical. The parasite Trichomonas gallinae causes a swelling at the back of the throat which leads to a progressive difficulty in swallowing and breathing by inflected birds.

You know you are looking at a tricho bird if it is lethargic, gapes frequently and has fluffed-up plumage. I first noticed the condition in Yorkshire greenfinches round about the year 2000, and by 2006 a full scale UK epidemic was declared by the British Trust for Ornithology. Its most recent annual BirdTrends report, published just before Christmas and so given little publicity, highlights that the country’s greenfinch population has suffered a “rapid and alarming decline” of 59 percent.

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Good table manners could save greenfinch

29th November 2014

Good hygiene at bird tables, feeders and baths has been flagged up as a way of helping to halt a decline of one Britain's most colourful birds.

A rapid fall in numbers of greenfinches was first noticed in 2006 and linked to trichomonosis, a parasite-induced disease that stops them from feeding.

Cleaning tables and feeders has been recommended in the past.

The RSPB has renewed the advice after a new report suggested greenfinches were continuing to decline.

The Index of Abundance for Scottish Terrestrial Breeding Birds report was published by Scottish Natural Heritage last week.

The fall in finches has been a long-time concern for the British Trust for Ornithology.

Chaffinches, house Sparrows, dunnocks, great tits and siskins are also at risk to the disease.

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Parasite hitting bird populations in Sussex

A deadly disease is having a devastating impact on bird populations, an ornithological enthusiast was warned.

Greenfinch populations in Sussex are thought to have dropped by up to a third and chaffinch populations by a fifth, according to a study by the Garden Bird Health Initiative.

The garden birds are suffering from trichomonosis, a parasite which infects the digestive system of mostly finches, doves and pigeons.

It causes lesions in the throat which makes it hard for the bird to swallow food leading it to die of starvation.

Affected birds appear “puffed-up” with fluffed-up plumage and are generally lethargic.

Peter Calladine, member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Royal Ornithological Society, said: “It’s very bad news. It is very widespread and causing huge losses to the bird population in Sussex. The numbers have fallen terribly. We are talking thousands.

“Greenfinches seem to be the most affected. The disease is very distinctive. They get all puffed up and it’s quite obvious they’re dying.”

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