From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Tue Jul 20 21:29:39 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i6L4R6OY026023 for <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 20 Jul 2004 21:27:07 -0700 (PDT) Received: from imo-m17.mx.aol.com (imo-m17.mx.aol.com [64.12.138.207]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i6L4PfMR025972 for <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 20 Jul 2004 21:25:42 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [[email protected]] by imo-m17.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v37_r2.6.) id t.143.2e5f4365 (4446) for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 21 Jul 2004 00:25:37 -0400 (EDT) From: [[email protected]] Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 00:25:36 EDT To: [[email protected]] MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Thunderbird - Mac OS X sub 208 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5b1 Subject: [SBB] Trichomoniasis X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5b1 Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by plaidworks.com id i6L4R6OY026023 Department of Fish and Game Any info on this for Santa Clara County? Dotty NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      04:060 July 6, 2004 Contacts:  Dr. Ben Gonzales, Veterinarian, (916) 358-1464                  Pat Lauridson, Wildlife Biologist, (916) 445-3701                                    Special Feature News Release                       Deadly Bird Disease Can Spread By Birdfeeders Many Californians connect with nature by providing birds with an outdoor birdfeeder or birdbath. But what they may not realize is those same feeders and baths could be harboring a deadly parasite that is responsible for killing thousands of mourning doves, band-tailed pigeons, and other wild birds. Various statewide outbreaks of trichomoniasis have already caused mortality in many of California's mourning dove and band-tailed pigeon populations. California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) avian experts are urging residents to either thoroughly clean their birdfeeders and baths daily, or remove them for the remainder of the summer to help stop the spread of the disease. "It's probably best to eliminate feeders all together, but if folks decide to keep them, there are precautions they can take to minimize the spread of the parasite to healthy birds," said Dr. Ben Gonzales, a DFG wildlife veterinarian. Trichomoniasis is a protozoan * a single-celled animal * that causes mortality in doves and other gregarious species, with varying levels of localized outbreaks documented annually throughout California as well as in other parts of the U.S. To help control the disease, DFG biologists are urging residents to: * Replace all food in birdfeeders and water in birdbaths daily. Clean up old food around feeders daily,    and only use small amounts of food. * Decontaminate feeders by using a 10 percent solution of household bleach in water, preferably    cleaned just prior to adding new food. * Spread small amounts of seed out over a large area in the sun, instead of using bird boxes or    feeders. Also vary the location of where the seed is spread to avoid encouraging a concentration of    birds at one site. DFG's biologists say the disease is highly contagious and can easily spread from birds sharing the same feeding or watering areas. Young doves and pigeons can become infected when fed "crop milk" is produced by their parents. "The major concern with the spread of this disease is the impact it has on local wild bird populations," Gonzales said. Although exact numbers of bird deaths is impossible to calculate, Gonzales believes the number to be in the thousands so far this year. Understanding the spread of disease, including other agents transmitted at feeding and watering sites, and their impacts on bird populations, is a major consideration for wildlife professionals who are charged with the management of wild birds in California. "Unusual population increases that result from feeding as well as a concentration of birds around feeders, predispose bird populations to outbreaks of infectious diseases like Trichomoniasis," Gonzales said. "This problem occurs primarily in urban areas in mourning doves." Environmental conditions are also a factor with the disease. The parasite generally poses little threat until temperatures exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit and evening lows are above 50. Outbreaks are typically documented during the drier seasons * spring, summer and fall, during the months that many bird watchers rely on bird feeders and baths. Birds that are concentrated, feeding at one location, are most vulnerable to this disease because the parasite is typically passed in food and water regurgitated from an infected bird. Healthy birds that ingest such food, or drink the same water as an infected bird, can then contract the disease. Nationwide studies suggest that a significant number of doves and pigeons are currently infected with varying strains of the disease. Thousands of these birds die each year. Mortality in young birds is of particular concern. Gonzales said nestlings typically die within four to 18 days after being infected. "This disease can impact the number of young birds being recruited into a population, which then can impact future local populations," said Pat Lauridson, DFG wildlife biologist and game bird specialist. "If a parent is infected and the only means of survival of the young is by that parent, as is especially the case with doves and pigeons, the young are given a death sentence." Studies show that the parasite can last for 20 minutes to several hours in water, and up to five days in bird feed. "This is ample time for the disease to be transmitted to a healthy parent bird that happens to feed from the same infected feeder or watering bowl," said Gonzales, who conducts necropsies on infected dead birds and compiles estimated mortality rates for DFG. Doves and pigeons are the two species most documented with the infection because of their gregarious habits, and their feeding of young with crop milk, noted Gonzales. The infection essentially affects their upper digestive tracts. The birds develop lesions in their mouths and throats that eventually prevent them from eating. Most of these birds die of starvation but some actually suffocate from the lesions or when the disease impacts their livers. "Infected birds will continue to attempt to eat seeds or drink water, even though their throats are often blocked by the parasite, because they are starving or dying of thirst, in addition to the infection," he said. "It can spread like wildfire and to a variety of other bird species." Falcons and hawks can become infected after feeding on dead doves, for example. Owls and songbirds can also contract the disease and die. Most often, however, dead doves and pigeons are found because they tend to die in the open, whereas other bird species seek cover just prior to their death. In addition, because of their flocking behavior, doves and pigeons often die in groups, thereby increasing the chance of a die-off being detected. "The potential impact to local band-tailed pigeon populations in high outbreak years is worrisome," said Lauridson, who is charged with developing management objectives for both doves and pigeons in California. The band-tailed pigeon, distinguishable by its yellow legs, yellow bill, and long banded tail, is the only native and the largest pigeon in North America. And California is home to a geographically unique population of this bird. The Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeon migrates from British Columbia to northern Baja, California. It is also a bird that generally prefers a distinct habitat, the state's conifer, pine and mixed hardwood forests found at higher elevations. "The band-tailed pigeon is kind of a majestic bird. Its migratory behavior and proclivity for forested habitats makes it much different than the feral pigeons you see roosting in the rafters of a barn," Lauridson said. "But all the same, if these birds find an easy food source such as what feeders provide, they'll return in even larger numbers to feed alongside other species, which creates an environment rich for the transmission of the disease and resulting impacts to local populations." European settlers who brought pigeons and doves to the continent introduced the Trichomoniasis parasite in the U.S. The avian disease likely went undetected for centuries. It was first documented in the Southeastern region of the U.S. between 1949 and 1951. Nationwide mortality rates at that time were only in the tens of thousands for mourning doves. Several decades later, the disease spread to other areas, including the states of New Mexico, Alabama, and Nebraska. In 1988, in California the disease killed more than 16,000 banded-tailed pigeons. This was the first major U.S outbreak recorded for the band-tailed pigeon. DFG officials remind the public there is always a danger in handling dead wildlife. Individuals should wear gloves when picking up a dead bird or other wildlife and always wash with an anti-bacterial soap afterwards.                            ###    _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. 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