Avian pox?

[ML Roush]

Hi.  I've recently seen a House Finch on my feeders with what looks like extra "featherpants" on both legs, at the top.  With binocs, it looks more lumpy than feathery, but not the gnarly kind of lumpy I see when googling Avian Pox.

I've taken down feeders to sanitize.  

Questions:

How long should feeders stay down?

Should I report it to someone? Who?

Thanks!  

Mary Lynn

[Lisa Millbank]

It's always sad to see a sick bird like this!  If the lesions are actually growing from the feathered skin at the top of the legs, it's probably not avian pox, since those lesions are usually only on the featherless areas of the bird's body and in some cases, the mucous membranes. But, it may be difficult to tell whether the lesions are growing from bare skin or from within the feathered area.  The avian pox viruses are frequently transmitted between birds by mosquitoes.  Other routes of transmission include airborne dust containing the virus, which is remarkably hardy in the environment, or through contact with broken skin.  Although you can find advice on the internet about taking your feeders down if you see a bird with avian pox, I don't believe that the transmission of this disease is strongly affected by feeder hygiene the way that many other diseases are.

I'm not sure what other type of condition it could be, it doesn't really sound like a bad case of scaly leg mites (or "scaly foot") either, but I'm not sure. If you are able to take a photo, that might help with the ID of the condition.  It's hard to give advice regarding your feeder situation without knowing whether it's a communicable disease or if it's just a problem with that individual bird.  It's possible that Chintimini Wildlife Center could help answer your question, since they're familiar with diseases in wild birds.

Lisa Millbank

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