House Finch Disease Survey

Now, more than ever, avian disease is in the public spotlight. People want to know how diseases spread geographically, how they affect birds, and if they will jump from species to species. Although these questions are largely spurred by recent news of avian flu (see the article Questions and Answers About Avian Flu in this issue), a range-wide study of another disease can provide insightful data on avian disease in a broader context.

House Finch eye disease is afflicting House Finches across North America. Sick birds have swollen, weepy, irritated, or crusted-over eyes. Symptoms are easily discerned and the disease poses no risk to humans.

Participants make brief observations on the health of their feeder birds and report their observations via the Web or paper data forms. Thanks to the network of participants, researchers have learned much about House Finch Eye Disease and are poised to navigate areas yet unexplored in disease ecology. Participants helped track the spread of the disease from its origin in the Washington, D.C., area all the way to the West Coast, providing valuable data on the spread of disease in a North American bird population. Now participants can help researchers answer other key questions: Will birds become resistant to the bacterium that causes conjunctivitis? Why are there seasonal fluctuations in disease prevalence? Will the disease spread to other species? Do localized "mini-epidemics" of this disease occur?

We need your help! Please take part in the House Finch Disease Survey. Visit www.birds.cornell.edu/hofi or contact housefinch@cornell.edu.

--Sarah Goodwin, coordinator
House Finch Disease Survey

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu