House Finch eye disease continues to spread
Understanding how pathogens, such as disease-causing bacteria, spread and change over time is critical to management of infectious diseases. Implementing effective vaccination strategies and successful disease prevention methods depends upon such research.
House finches are providing a unique window into disease dynamics. Scientists have tracked the spread of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (a bacterial pathogen) in house finches since it emerged in the Washington D.C. area in 1994. Now, nearly 20 years later, this bacteria has spread throughout eastern populations of house finches and has been spreading in western populations since 2003. Click on the map to see how the disease has spread.
The jump to western North America was accompanied by lower virulence (disease severity) in the west. However, that virulence appears to have increased since 2003; now virulence in the west is as high as in the east. This suggests that in order to spread across large geographic distances, virulence (i.e. severity) must be low, but in order to become more common, virulence must increase. Click the picture below to see a figure illustrating this idea.
“We want to understand how this disease is spreading, if cases are more or less severe than they used to be, and how the birds’ immune systems are adapting to fight this threat,” says Wesley Hochachka, Assistant Director of Bird Populations Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The question now is: as the disease spreads and becomes more virulent, are house finch defenses increasing as well?
We are asking participants of Project FeederWatch across North America, and especially in the west, to watch their feeders, look for signs of the disease, and report what they find in their FeederWatch counts. The disease manifests as swelling around the eyes, and is often accompanied by sticky head/face feathers. See photos here by FeederWatcher Errol Taskin, and more here.
It is especially important for people to report if they look for the disease but don’t see house finches with apparent infection. For FeederWatchers, this means checking the “yes” box when asked if you looked for the infection, and typing in a “0” when asked how many finches were infected: You may think zeros are boring, but they are not! In order to track the spread of any disease, we need to know where is occurs, but also where it does not yet occur.
Reports from locations in western states such as Utah, Colorado, and Nevada are especially important because these locations likely have newly arriving infected birds. There aren’t as many FeederWatch participants in those states compared to many eastern states, so we need lots of help in those areas! Learn more about the disease here.
286 comments on “House Finch eye disease continues to spread”
I have had One House finch since Feederwatch opened for this year with the eye disease. Anecdotally over the past summer I had at least 3-4 different finches with the disease but no deaths.
Last year over the summer I had many house finches with it and 3 deaths attributed to it. At that time I had called the local wildlife officials in Reading PA who at the time had indicated to double bag and freeze specimens which I did , indicating if I had 5 or more they would collect for analysis due to disease spread. I ended up with 3 deceased birds for the year at the end.
Having read up then on the devastation in the 1990s caused to the House finch population from is disease, I have become more attuned to looking for the symptoms.
We live in Tyrone p.a. I have seen at least 4 cases this summer so far. My neighbor has seen it also.
I’m sorry Barbara but I’m trying to leave a comment regarding the finches in my area but can’t seem to figure out how. So posting here. Maybe you are more experienced t than I and can share.
I live in New Castle Colorado. I have had 3 sick/blind finches this year already:_ very sad. Cleaning feeders regularly. Anything else i should be doing?
Hi Erin, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
I live in Wisconsin. I have only seen a couple of finches this year… June 2021. I usually have hundreds. Last year they were flying at my windows in pairs.
Today I googled to find out why and saw the illness issue and have reported it to Wisconsin DNR.
Meanwhile, I have thrown every single feeder away. This disease can affect thirty other species
so I’m doing the responsible thing. Stop the feeding.
I wanted to let everyone know that yesterday I saw two infected house finches at my feeders (sometimes it’s hard to see so I had to use my binoculars even though they were right outside my window)
Clearly it’s still spreading so we still need to continue getting the word out. I didn’t know about it until two weeks ago. I actually cried because it’s so hard to take my feeders down. I even had to close my blinds so I couldn’t see them looking in at me hungry and thirsty. My Mom keeps reassuring me that they’ll be fine and they certainly have better odds then if they keep giving it to each other at the feeders. It’s not like we can tell them to wash their hands :P. I’m leaving down for two weeks (recommended) then will continue to watch. It’s going to be a long two weeks. If anyone has any further advice please let us know. Signing out from Denver CO, Thanks!
Hi Susannah, House Finch Eye Disease has been around since the early ’90s. You can learn all about the disease here including helpful FAQs. I also recommend checking out our Sick Birds page to learn about how you can combat disease at your feeders. Please email us at feederwatch@cornell.edu if you have any further questions.
Same here, I’m in Pittsburgh and get a huge flock of finches or siskins at my feeder. Many of them have eye problems and scruffy feathers. Also several very bald and scruffy cardinals this summer! They all look so pathetic, so sad to see up close. I have removed the feeder today for the second time.
I just encoutered it for the 1st time in Hagerstown MD.
Live on Adirondacks and have many finches with Avon .. They try to fly blind and end up on the ground .i can walk up and pic them up
Hi Tom, It is best to avoid touching sick birds – some diseases that birds carry can be passed on to humans, such as Salmonella. Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. If you’re particularly concerned about the birds, we recommend reaching out to a local certified wildlife rehabilitator.
Saw a house finch with eye disease in my peach tree today. Central Coast, California.
I live in Norfolk MA and have seen I believe only 1 red head finch with this eye disease which is so sad. I feel so bad for him. I just happened to look on the web and came across this article.
I have one house finch with eye disease whose been coming to the feeder for the last week or so. I live between Houston and Galveston in southeast Texas. I called the SPCA’s Wildlife Center, and they said they can treat it with antibiotics. So, I captured him this afternoon with a butterfly net and I’m taking him to the shelter tomorrow morning in a guinea pig carrier.
Disease was news to me, even as a wildlife biologist in northern MT. Could possibly explain what has happened in my area. Three years ago I had so many house finches, local Audubon trapped and banded at my feeder. Up to 3 dozen at a time between 2 feeders. I noticed a decline in winter numbers winter 2012-13, and summer 2013 numbers were a third of previous year. By fall I never had more than 5-6 finches at feeder at a time. Now in middle of Dec. I haven’t had any finches in 3 weeks. I still have hopes of seeing some redpolls and house finches come in from the North before winter is over. I feed only thistle and black oil sunflower, so my species list is small for the feeders, but house finches, goldfinch, Mourning dove(summer), common redpoll (winter), occasional flicker, and a couple sparrow species. I haven’t seen a single bird of any species at the feeders, since a lone mourning dove departed a week ago. I really miss the birds. I have never tracked numbers or done more than dispose of dead birds, but would be interested in protocol for tracking finch numbers and disease progression.
I have House finch nesting on my front porch where I sit out daily. Should I remove the nest before she lays eggs?is it hazardous in anyway to humans?
Hi Judy, House Finch eye disease does not pose a harm to humans. We do recommend good hand washing if you were to come into contact with a diseased bird and when you handle your bird feeders. Please leave the nest in place and enjoy the coming eggs and baby birds!
I recently noticed several of “my” finches having a disturbing eye issue. So I decided to see if there was any information about it, and came across this site. I’m sure I don’t have the knowledge or skill to be a part of the watch team, but I thought I’d share what I’ve seen and where I am located.
One of my birds, the first one I noticed, is actually so bad that he almost looks like he has two heads. He is one of three that I’ve noticed. All are males. The other two are not quite as swollen or matted as the first, and all three seem to only be affected in one eye.
I live in Abilene, Texas.
ps.
Be sure to swab the openings of your feeders regularly with a bleach solution paper towel and then wipe with a clean water one. Also periodically hose out and disinfect your feeders with a 10% bleach solution. Tube type feeders help transmit mycoplasma c. and other diseases from contact when the sick bird puts his head in the opening. Next bird picks up the illness, especially house finches.
What if the birdseed is on the ground?
Hi, I just noticed that a few of my house finches seem to have this eye disease. You mention cleaning the feeder with a 10% bleach solution. What kind of bleach? Just a regular type household bleach like Clorox???
Is there anything else I can do?
Hello Judy,
Yes, you can use a diluted household bleach solution to clean your feeders and birdbaths. You should rake the ground under the feeders to remove droppings and shells. Also, leave your feeders down for a week to encourage diseased birds to disperse.
Best,
Chelsea Benson, Project Assistant
I had a finch with it here in Red Deer Alberta Canada this past winter……..he did not make the winter!!!!!!!!
I have casin finches with crusty eyes first noticed male and just now the female. This year only a few have come back we live in remote mountains of NE Wa. Cow birds show up at same time to drop their eggs for sweet little casins to incubate and raise. Hope ours will survive.
By searching for house finch eye disease, I found this site. A female finch with all the symptoms of this disorder has been at my feeder for the past few days. She is nearly blind and I can put my hand just next to her without her realizing it. She finds the feeder early in the morning and stays on it most of the day. I worry about her getting water as I never see her at one of the three bird baths in the yard. This is Mobile, AL.
I live in Fort Collins Colorado. Noticed a sick female house finch at my feeder a few days ago with conjunctivitis and labored breathing. She was eating (from my tube feeder, which was taken down right away and won’t be put back out) and appeared to have a good appetite, but didn’t fly away when I got quite close (within 3 feet) so I believe she couldn’t see very well. She kept rubbing her eyes/ face on the feeder, had a clear discharge and slight swelling around her eyes. I called our Parks and Wildlife office here, but they didn’t seem concerned, and just said mycoplasma conjunctivitis in house finches hadn’t “officially” been reported here (yet). She is the only one I’ve seen so far.
It looks/ sounds like the description. Is anyone still tracking mycoplasma in house finches?
Three years ago I noticed a few house finches with the eye disease and some other type of respiratory issue. Last year many more had the diseases and recorded over 50 dead finches. This year is even worse and I have disposed over 100 finches. Feeders are cleaned with bleach at least once a week. We have many other species coming to the feeders with no apparent spreading of the disease. I have talked to one person who does not feed the birds and has found several dead finches. At this rate we may no longer have finches unless they develop some immunity in Yantis, Texas.
Trying to sign up to Feeder Watch but your website is “off” today. Serious problem with Cassin Finch’s dying at my feeder. Other birds not affected. CAFI seems to get the eye disease, fail slowly and die around the feeder on the ground. I am going to take the feeder down and soak in bleach. Please contact me if you have other ideas. I live in the eastern Sierra’s in CA at 8200′. Thanks.
I just noticed one House Finch with one eye partially closed. I am assuming that it is the bacteria that infects finches. I will continue to be vigilant.
Tomorrow, I am going to soak my 3 feeders in the recommended 10% bleach solution. The suggestion of wiping the feeder openings is a great idea. I’ll keep that in mind, too. Thanks for the tip.
Can I submit observations outside of my Feeder Watch days?
Have had 2 finches this month (Dec 2014) with this disease. The first was a female. I have not seen her now for 3 days, but just when I think something has happened to her, she shows up again. The second is a male, just noticed with the disease 2 days ago. He looks to be more of a purple finch than a house finch. I took pictures at the feeder and sent to whatbird.com, and responses tend to agree that it’s a purple, not a house. I bring my feeders in every night and clean all visible dirt off them. If I have seen one of the sick finches at a feeder, I wash and bleach that feeder. My finch population is between 6 – 10 birds. I have only had feeders since Nov and am still learning to identify my guests.
Meant to say in my previous post that I live in north western Connecticut. I’ve also removed my tube feeders for the time being; the feeders I have out are platform or hopper style.
I had one at my feeder in August, 2014. Kansas City metro.
One sited at my feeder in August, 2014. -Kansas City Metro
I am in Florida and noticed a finch in the middle of the street .eyes are closed I put her in a shoe box .she will drink but will not eat. What should I do?
Hi Pamela, It is imperative that you contact a local, certified wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife hospital. They have the necessary federal permits to treat and handle wild birds, and will be able to give the best advice for the next steps.
Have seen none,so far this year, but have had sightings of same in previous years; seemed to be dwindling as the years progressed. I live about 100 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas.
We have had at least 12 house finches with eye disease in January altho it existed during past 3 months as well. The Bristol Tn area has always seemed to have a high number of birds suffering from this condition. Have only found one deceased bird over the years so I wonder if recovery rate is also higher. Their eyes crust over but they still seem to eat and fly. More females this year than males but seems to vary from year to year. Sad to see them suffering. Other birds seem oblivious to their problems.
I have a titmouse in my garage with the disease. S/he seems to be otherwise healthy, though appears to be blind in the left eye. The other birds at my feeder appear to normal. I will remove and clean the feeders with bleach, just to be on the safe side.
Lynnfield, MA
Today a Finch showed up at my feeder here in Toronto, ON Canada with this condition.
Due to the extreme cold weather the increase in birds to my feeders has been 3 times the normal.
Feeders have been, and will try to clean daily with Bleach solution.
I see a Cassin’s Finch today with the eye disease. I rarely see that species here in Sunriver, OR, so quickly saw it has trouble flying with one infected eye.
I saw 2 males and 1 female house finch with the disease last fall.
I think I have a finch with conjunctivitis in its right eye at my feeder in Albuquerque, NM. I first noticed him a couple of weeks ago – he’s obviously blind in that eye, and tends to perch/nest on my feeder whenever he can. I would like to send a photo to someone with your project to verify.
found yellow finch in the snow brought in the house to warm up. Noticed both eyes closed; one eventually opened. Researched conjunctivitis and not to tx it with antibiotics. I let it go and will further observe. Once we have a good day, I will wash all my feeders with 10 percent bleach.
On March 1, I saw an American Goldfinch at my feeder (in Sullivan County, NY) that seemed to have mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. I started being very disciplined about swabbing feeder ports and perches nightly, but on March 26 saw a bird with a very bad case — he had difficulty navigating. Since then I’ve seen at least one other bird with a bad eye, maybe more. What is the current recommended best practice? I’ve seen an old House Finch Disease Survey FAQ (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/hofi/hofifaqs.html) that just says to regularly wash with a 10% bleach solution, but Michigan DNR (http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-27089–,00.html) says to takes feeders down for 2 weeks. I took the feeders down early this afternoon, and I miss the birds so much already. On the other hand, I feel dreadful seeing diseased birds at my feeder and don’t want to help spread it. What’s the best course of action?
I live in north Georgia and had never heard of this disease however I have had numerous birds, pine siskens gold finch es and even a wood pecker have been found dead and now I believe that they have this . I am going to bleach my feeders.
I have a house finch that appears to have the eye disease. She’s been sitting in a little tree near the food and water since yesterday morning. She mostly sleeps but seems to get around okay to eat and drink and flew away when I changed the water this morning. Oddly, another house finch has stayed by her side as well as a pine siskin. I’m in central OK.
I’m in SE Oklahoma and have had 2 Goldfinches and 4-5 purple finches with the disease in just the last month. I will be cleaning feeders and removing birdseed waste today.
I’m in southeast Oklahoma near Durrant. We have seen to goldfinches and for purple finches with this conjunctivitis in the last month. One we took to the local veterinarian who prescribed treatment. The bird recovered within the week and was released back to the wild.I do have one tubefeeder that will be removed today other feeders will be cleaned with the bleach solution and all spare seed residue will be removed
Have participated in the feeder watch program now for about five years and never noticed house finch Eye disease, but this year I noticed a bird acting a little sick and followed her closely and saw slightly swollen eye. it was a female then she disappeared but as the weeks went on I noticed that there were about three more females with eye disease. don’t know if it was the same one or not and at least one male Finch maybe two who had this disease. Never Saw any bird that died. and I took all my feeders down a little bit early washed them out with the bleach solution and actually just left them inside. all I left out were the one suet feeder and peanut feeders because the finches just didn’t seem to come to those. consequently the house finches stop coming. All seemed fine. then yesterday my husband noticed that there was a downy woodpecker that was all puffed up and just hanging from the peanut feeder( and we actually slowly watched it die). when I looked more closely with my binoculars I thought one Eye was swollen a little. I could see some feathers on its back sticking up. then it buried its head in the feathers and it’s back like it was trying to rub it. It finally flew from the peanut feeder to the ground below a shrub and a couple of hours later we noticed that it wasn’t moving. I checked and it was dead. I thought only House finches goldfinches were the ones to get this disease is it possible that this female downy had eye disease? I bagged and froze it in case it would be of interest to those studying the disease.
Forgot to mention my location is northern suburb in Maryland. Is there any organization I could contact to report that a female downy has house finch eye disease?
I had a Red Poll Finch at my feeder yesterday when I went out to refill. Instead of flying away when I approached, he stayed on the feeder. I finally had my head judt inches ftom him and got a very closeup view. His eyes looked different from the rest….crusty around the edges. I wondered if he could be blind….but how could a blind bird successfully fly back and forth? I decided to take it a step further and moved my finger closer to him. No reaction at all, and seemed completely oblivious to it. I finally touched his back ( which I thought would surely startle him) but he was OK with that. :-/ I moved my finger over his head and in front of him, and to my surprise….he stepped up onto my finger! I was so amazed, and frustrated that my phone was not in my pocket so I could get a picture! Thought I’d do some research on eye diseases in finches, and found this sight. I can understand him not being freaked out by me approaching him due to his compromised eyesight….but don’t understand why he wasn’t afraid of me touching him. So far….this bird is the only one I’ve seen with this eye problem. I’m in SW Ohio.
Today at the feeder I noticed a house Finch acting kind of strange. I first noticed it didn’t fly off with the other birds when they got startled. Then I looked closer and saw its eye looking kind of squinty and strange. That’s when the Finch turned its head and it looked like the other eye was either extremely swollen or was popped out of the socket. It was obviously blind in that eye. Getting close to the window usually startles the birds off for a second but not this bird. It seemed oblivious. I am in Phoenix, Arizona.
I live in northern Colorado. I noticed 2 days ago a House Finch with conjunctivitis. This was a bad case where one eye was swollen shut and the other 1/2 closed. Once the bird was scared off I removed the feeder , cleaned it accordingly , removed all spent seeds on the ground and did not return food for 24 hours. I have been feeding birds for 5 years and have never had an ill bird. This is the first and will watch for any others.
Noted what appears to be “Pox” on a house finch at our feeder/sanctuary. The bird was incapacitated and cornered by one of our cats. The photos I took and initial inspection suggests “POX”
We have had several house finches with the eye condition this winter and spring. Today I was shocked to see a female cardinal land on my window feeder with what appeared to be a similar condition. She was nearly bald (crest gone) and her eyes looked like those of the infected house finch. I have also seen a finch who was bald and figured this was a continuation of the condition (she appeared to be blind as well). Does anyone know if this is a different condition? Has anyone ever seen the disease being suffered by a cardinal?
I am in central NJ.
I feed year around and always watch for sick birds. In the last week, I started seeing house finches with eye disease. Swollen and puffing eyes, weak flying, and rubbing their eyes on feeders, and limbs. So far I haven’t found any dead ones. I’m in N.E. Wyoming in the edge of the Black Hills.
We recently moved to NW Reno NV, and began putting out feeders out in early May. Our feeders are primarily frequented by the finches, with many more females than males. Since then, we have had six deaths, accompanied by the manifestations of this eye disease. This is now a regular occurrence, and I expect there to be more. This has been specific to female finch individuals. I cannot tell if they are House finches, or Cassin’s. I only just saw this site today-8/12/15-as I was searching for a cause for what is ailing our birds. We are going to get new feeders and space them farther to prevent the mob, and clean the old ones and begin a rotation where there will always be clean feeders out. We also have other common birds-blackbirds, quail, and doves, with no signs of the disease in these species.
We had a House Finch show up yesterday with the eye infection. It was in both of her eyes. One side was worse than the other one. It is the first time I have ever seen this. She didn’t stay long and flew away when a door was opened in the area. This was in Spencer, Indiana. I hope she will be ok.
I’m new to feeding birds, and I will definitely be using the bleach solution. I think I’m about to lose my third finch. Each one has done the same thing. They eat at the feeder and basically stay there most of the day. The one I’m observing now basically seems blind. I had noticed the same thing with the other birds. My question is how do you gather any seed from the ground? Thanks!
About August 16, we had a female house finch obviously sick with swollen eyes and seemingly blind. This is the first time I’ve seen a bird like this in our area –Wimberley TX
Found 3 finches with conjunctivitis, one has a shut eye and hangs out at my feeder all day. Will start cleaning weekly with bleach. Did start using a tube feeder this summer and have a population of 15 finches at a time between 3 feeders. No deaths.
Two purple finches infected with the eye disease, the first ones I have seen here (Shreveport, LA) and at first I thought they were just young finches that had lost parents and were not fully matured to fly, but on closer examination, saw the eye issue. No tube feeders here, but will wipe them down anyway as we feed birds year round. They hang out on my birdbath and then on the feeder during the day. So sad to see this. One is obviously thin, the other, I have hope for keeping alive. Have not seen this in other birds yet.
Found baby yellow finch in MARIETTA Ga. Both eyes crusted over totally blind.
So i was outside on my back patio area and came across a small finch fluttering on the ground trying to fly. It was late so I felt bad leaving it outside so vulnerable. I took it inside and set up a temporary enclosure in case he decided to fly. This morning I found out it can fly when it jumped from my hands, but cannot see. I looked further and seen that its eyes appear to be scabbed closed. I read online about another case where they put a saline solution drop to clean the eye so I tried myself. His eyes seemed to react when he appeared to look around. One eye has a white film like wet scab over it, the other open slightly but is closed still and a little blood was in the liquid that came out from the eye. I washed my hands prior and used a qtip to clean the area, then re-cleaned my hands. Afraid of contraction. Any Ideas?
Treatment of wild birds should be conducted by licensed professionals. To locate a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, please consult the following webpage: http://wildliferehabinfo.org/.
Found a purple or house finch at my feeder. It was not acting nervous as I got closer and I noticed what appears to be some eye irritation or maybe a swelling it attempted to fly as I touched it though it was not able to sustain flight and simply landed on the ground.
What can I do if anything ?
noticed house finch at feeder with red eye disease, Kalamazoo MI area, didn’t fly away as I approached feeder to fill, will watch for more, hopefully not.
Live in Happy Valley Oregon. Feeding oily sunflower seeds. Two house finches w unilateral swollen eyes. Birds also act sick. One house finch today w large growth extending fr upper edge of eye to top of head. Will bleach feeder. Other birds appear unaffected. Chickadees (three varieties) look good. Thx for posting this info.
just wanted to report finch with either avian eye disease or pox eyes are shut and saw growth on one leg.she hit my window and i got a good look at her.she was ok within 15 minutes and flew to close tree.i live in youngstown,ohio.
Santa Barbara, CA: Two weeks ago (mid-November) we saw a female house finch with what appeared to be conjuntivitis in her left eye frequenting our seed feeder. Shortly thereafter, we took down the feeder and cleaned up in order to not allow easy spread of the disease to other birds, since we have so many house finches in close proximity to each other while visiting the feeder.
My son brought a finch home today that he found in the road. Eyes were glued shut. Found this website online. I used warm water on his eyes and now they’re open but suspect conjunctivitis. Such a sweet little guy and is loving all the cuddles. I can’t take him to the vet and am afraid to let him go. Is there anything I can do to help him? Any home remedies?
Treatment of wild birds should be conducted by licensed professionals. To locate a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, please consult the following webpage: http://wildliferehabinfo.org/.
I am located 60 miles west of Houston in Wharton County. I have been here now for 14 years. At first we saw many yellow finches. Then only several in December – January 2015. This January the flock is a mixture of brown and yellow has grown to about 10 – 15. We observe them using binoculars. Have not seen any dead or sick birds.have noticed they do not care for thistle seeds in tube feeder, but love platform and ground feeding of a mixture of seeds by Audobon Society. Strangest thing for past 2 years the yellow finches have chosen one particular small crepe myrtle to feed upon the dried seeds. Stumbled upon your site as have been searching for information related to where have all the finches gone.
I’ve noticed 1 male house finch that possibly has this disease. Today I noticed a goldfinch that has it even worse, the left eye is completely effected, I’m sure she’s blind. Both birds were being picked on and had some what roughed-up feathers, the goldfinch being the worst. Just 2-3 years ago I had 30 goldfinches coming to the feeders at a time, now may be a dozen. Not sure why the decline, could be several factors, one being a hawk.
Today I spotted a female at a feeder with a closed right eye. Area is clean, no discharge, no feather disturbance. Surface of closed eyelids is smooth, no swelling.
How might I distinguish between disease and simply an old, well healed eye injury/loss?
Thanks!
I live in Corona, California. I saw a house finch today that was hanging out on my ground feeder tray. It did not fly off with the rest of the finches. I walked up to it and it still did not fly away. As I got closer and started speaking to it, it still did not fly away. As I took a better look at it I saw one of the eyes was swollen shut and the other eye was almost fully shut. I used a stick to pirch him on the tree where it would be safe. The little thing stayed where I sat him on the tree and I came in to search for info on how to help it. That’s when I came across this site. I feel really sad for the birds. I started feeding them to help them but it seems that I may be hurting them by exposing healthy birds to sick birds. I started feeding them in July. So far I had 2 birds die. One for sure did not have an eye infection, not sure about the other bird. When I went back outside a few minutes ago the bird was gone. Poor little thing couldn’t see. Not sure where it went.
I have had a house finch with conjunctivitis for several days in Bernalillo , New Mexico just north of Albuquerque. He looks pretty bedraggled but has his nice red spring colors. He is hanging in there but I’m surprised the hawks that come by daily haven’t got him. I have lesser gold finches and pine siskins that feed daily also and I haven’t seen any of them with the affliction. Are pine siskins susceptible?
My house is in Virginia Beach, Virginia eight miles from the ocean front. There is a seed feeder and a water feeder. The purple finch I captured today has one eye that appears as though it is wearing a black patch. The other is is crusted over and the crust is slightly distended. Thursday I saw the bird wing through the air and land in a patch of grass, where it sat for several minutes. When it flew off it was having a difficult time gaining height and flying straight. Then, today, Saturday, I saw the finch at the water bowl and it flew from the bowl to a bush to a small tree where I was able to catch it. It also looks a bit thin. I do have wildlife rehab people on the case.
My sister who lives in East Texas has found 5 red-wing blackbirds with an eye matted, addled acting or dead in the last week. I was reading about this avian conjunctivitis & wondered if this could be the issue with the RW blackbirds.
Did anyone find the database area on here to enter info on this? I, luckily, have many finches including a family nesting in my porch rafters, and as far as I’ve spotted all are healthy. I do not use any feeders. I spread seeds on ground which all wildlife share and 1x/week shells get ground up and moved by lawnmower/blower. Cheers
Sorry, live in Spring City PA (west of Philly)
Last summer I had many house finches with the eye problem and I buried them and was wondering if it was from all the pesticides that are sprayed around here for weeds. Didn’t do any research last year and already this year I have a beautiful red finch and it has the matted eye like last year. I do a wipe with peroxide and dish soap on the platform of my feeder. There were so many last year and it really is heart retching to see this tiny beautiful birds being hit with an awful disease. I have tried to catch the one this year but it gets away before I can put it in to a transport cage.
Someone mentioned some get over it but I don’t believe that. This one today has an enlarged lower bill, like it is deformed. HOW DOES THIS GET STOPPED.
I live in Northern Nevada outside Carson City
I had a bird with this until today when found dead. It was sad to watch it try to find its way around my feeder with one eye.
I have a house finch, female in my home. She is comfortable with a box and some water and seeds. My husband found her on a job here in Lynchburg. He told me and I rescued her and brought her home. I have conjunctivitis eye cream from my vet and I’ve applied it her eyes. Prior she could not see and made no noise. After 8 hours she is squeaking and both eyes open but weepy. I will keep her till morning and apply one last dose to her eyes. I hope she recovers and hope this helps in research. Very loving to animals, obviously but felt the need to say the small tube of ointment I had has worked well. She will be set free tomorrow!
I absolutely love house finches! I had an abundant population of them from approximately 1998 until 2010 or so. They would regularly come to my feeders. Then the next year or two they dwindled. My Goldfinch visitors have never displayed any signs of this disease. It was then that I remember seeing one male with a bad eye, he was stocky & had a beautiful bright red head, but the eye looked terrible. I had thought perhaps it had been injured fighting or by a predator. Then I noticed another male smaller & not as red with the same injury & a female with a swollen eye as well. I was baffled, but thought maybe these two couples were fighting over territory, never knew of the disease till recently. I have always kept my feeders out but haven’t seen any since then, until this year. I have two males & females which are absolutely stunning, & have been visible around my feeders for at least the last two months. Nice robust red color on the males & healthy pretty females! No signs of any eye infections! I will keep monitoring them. Just as a little extra info! I have seen them drinking the nectar I have left out for the hummers & orioles….and have seen them eating grape jelly. I never had seen that before or knew that they did that! Also saw a robin eating suet in my yard! I live in Wonder Lake Illinois! Hopefully these beautiful birds will continue to frequent my feeders & not exhibit any signs of this nasty disease. I will continue to monitor & post!
I just spotted a female house finch with the disease. She’s thin but eats steadily from an Arundale Bird Cafe feeder and is very active. (Will take it down and clean it with a bleach solution tomorrow.) I’m in Northern VA.
Live in Denver. We just started actively feeding this spring. I have seen a male house finch who could barley see but seemed to improve. I’m not sure if he is still around and recovered or the neighbors cat finally found him. I saw a female with crusty eyes around the same time but only once. Now we have another male who is acting the same way (sleeping on the feeder) but he is fat and/or fluffed up and does not seem to have the eye infection. The only dead bird I have found had a broken neck. I think she ran into something. No sign of illness.
I did have a female who seemed to have a swollen chest on one side. This bird has not returned in a week.
We constantly have House Finches with Conjunctivitis here in NE Indiana which are quickly dispatched by the Cooper’s Hawk that feeds heavily on these sick birds. I have noticed a few very weak Blue Jays that seem to have this disease as well. It does not appear to be from their normal molting. I have not observed any of the many numbers of species of woodpeckers I have being infected with it, I have been seeing this condition year around for a number of years and seems to be exclusive to House Finches & the few Blue jays. I’m surprised that the hawks have not been affected by eating these birds..
I have observed a house finch with what appears to be a deformed beak and a hunched neck. I took pictures.
I live in Indianapolis and learned of this eye disease last summer after much research from discovering a finch that pretty much camped out at my feeder. I am a nature photographer and realized after being able to get very close to take photos the finch’s eyes were completely crusted over. The last two days I have a female finch whose eyes are in the beginning stages…very red and swollen. I also have what I’m sure is a baby Cowbird that is obviously diseased in some way though I thought it was only Finches susceptible to this eye disease. I could actually reach out and touch the Cowbird if I wanted and he always has food stuck all over his face and doesn’t appear to swallow though his head is always in a feeder. He rubs and shakes his head but the food hangs from his beak and all over his face. I have a Coopers Hawk that knows my yard is perfect hunting grounds as I have 8 feeders always filled. Thought sure the Hawk would have gotten him by now and it would almost be better for him as it is painful to see this all day. I’d love any suggestions. I used to have so many birds of all types including a very large community of finches at feeders and on the ground all day every day but now only have a few with this sickly Cowbird a permanent fixture. Could be the constant stalking lately of the CH but I’m afraid maybe I am spreading this disease also. With all the feeders I have, it would be difficult to clean/bleach them all every week but I will do what necessary to help my huge backyard bird community. I have quite a few cardinals that are always first at the feeders in the morning and last at night and one is a bald cardinal that has been around for the last 3 months however I think that is a different situation all together. I had a survivor Carolina Wren with only 1 leg that would eat mealworms and was around for over 9 months. I haven’t seen him for some time but he was such an inspiration and amazing to watch. All information, advise and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I do have photos of all these situations.
I think I am wrong about this one being a Cowbird and it actually is probably a finch. I have such a difficult time discerning between a baby finch and cowbirds. This little guy is an obvious fledgling but is HUGE! I’ve seen many different kinds of songbirds feeding baby cowbirds this summer so it’s not uncommon in my backyard.
Chappaqua, NY – sorry to report I am seeing two Recently fledged House Finches at my feeder – a male and a female- probably siblings- suffering from avian conjunctivitis. I am keeping all my feeders – and the birdbath -very clean. The other finches left one week ago but these two cannot fly well.
Wylie TX, one male house finch with eye disease. It’s left eye is as big as a marble with yellowish orange near the head. I don’t know if this is the disease or an injury. Whoever is monitoring the disease, I put this out there for you.
Austin, TX here. We have one male house finch that appears to have eye disease. I first noticed him a couple weeks ago just hanging out on the feeder outside my home office window and have been closely monitoring him. I’ve been sterilizing the feeders every few days and also spraying the feeders, posts and bird water bowl with colloidal silver. He’s been status quo for a while now, so I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing.
We just had a sick house finch today at our feeders in North Carolina and it appears to be Avian Conjunctivitis, did some reasearch and found this page, We hope that something can be done to reduce this in the bird population, so sad to watch these affected birds.
I’m from Pittsburgh, PA and have recently spotted two finches that have eye issues and I think it might be this disease. I googled to find out about it and found your site. The one bird is still hanging around pretty much on the ground. I got very close to it. One eye is useless and the other eye is barely open. So sad. There has been a hawk in the area and I’m afraid this little bird’s days are numbered. I took down the feeders last night and cleaned with bleach solution. I do use the tube feeders but maybe I’ll switch to just an open plate instead. I don’t want to be causing harm to these beautiful creatures that give me so much pleasure with their songs.
I came home from work to find the little finch I’ve been watching for days had died. I wrapped it in a paper towel and buried it. I spotted another finch possibly with the same disease at the feeder I had just scrubbed down yesterday. I got very close to him before he flew away. I’m sure something is wrong with him. I wish something could be done quickly to reverse this horrible disease these birds are getting. Guess I’ll have to take down the tube feeders and put up some kind of an open feeder until this disease is under control.
I have seen one housefinch last year with the eye disease it was a male. I have seen the beginning of spring in Bethlehem Twsp pa outside of Bethlehem. However now all of a sudden in the past month or a bit more my sparrows are gone. Hubby and I found 2 dead on the dead and sorry never thought of reporting it and just found this site. they looked like either female house finches or sparrows and appeared to have been attacked but not sure.
I have had two house finches with this disease at my front yard in the last two days. I am in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Both left eyes of the finches were infected, while the right eyes appeared clear. Both were males. One finch had his eye swollen shut, while the other appeared to be recovering, with a black ring of crusty scab surrounding a purplish ring of very tender-looking new skin with the pupil in the centre. We have house finches frequently at the feeders, and this is the first time I’ve seen this. I also have good sharp photos of both birds if you need them. We are cleaning the feeder right now.
Today, Dec. 11, 2016 at approximately 4 PM, a goldfinch appeared at one of my feeders, apparently afflicted with this disease as its left eye was completely crusted shut. I was able to approach within inches of it and got a very clear look at its left eye as it withdrew its head from the feeder. It did not fly away so clearly did not see me with that eye. I am in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This is the first bird I have noticed with the disease.
I am so excited to find this site! I want to join Project FeederWatch, but I think I will wait for next season as this season is coming to a close. I must say that this past summer, Summer 2016, as I was mowing the lawn, I noticed a small house finch that did not fly away as I approached. I knew there was something wrong, and elicited my daughter’s help in capturing him. I knew immediately that I must take him to the Schuylkill Valley Nature Center, a 20 mile drive, but they would know what was wrong! I love birds so much and couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him. We placed him in a box with some old towels and drove the 20 miles to the Center. It turned out that Buster (the name I gave him) had conjunctivitis! He stayed at the Center for about three to six weeks where they could administer antibiotics so that he would not infect other birds. I was able to call to get updates on Buster. They told me he was progressing satisfactorily, but he was “bored!” A few weeks after his release date, I heard a commotion at my home office window. There was a tiny house finch sitting on my window ledge tapping at the window with his beak!! I’ve never seen a house finch do this – only our neighborhood blue bird – but I am positive Buster found his way home and tapped his tiny “thank you” for saving him on my window! I will never forget this experience!
Several of our feeders are about 3ft. from our kitchen window. We have seen in the last 10yrs. A few house finches that have bulging eyes. Normally just one eye, these sometimes have tiny feathers stuck around the bulging eye. I inquired about this with some bird people and was told it was infected feeders that caused the birds eye problems….for the record, we have not seen this on goldfinches, chickadees, titmice, bluejays, cardinals or the several types of woodpeckers/flickers that show up at our cake type feeders….clean your feeders in the spring.
I am in Sacramento, California and have many finches with this disease. I am an amateur photographer of birds, and I have quite a few photos that I can send along. I have more WITH this disease than without it.
We are in Red Bluff, CA. It’s really bad and we aren’t in town but in the country. So sad.
in Lake Hopatcong NJ we had a few diseased birds at our feeder late last season – now with spring and the birds back I already see one or two with cases of this eye disease. I keep the feeders clean and maintained – but in the highly congested area we are in – I worry that my efforts will not be enough to quell the disease. I also am an amateur photographer. I take shots of the finches for random ‘health checks” to see how much of the population has this disease. It is early in the year yet.
I’m in Coos Bay Oregon and while walking out to refill my feeders I noticed a House Finch sitting in the middle of my yard. Knowing that it wasn’t usual behavior, I approached it and when it didn’t even attempt to fly away I gently nudged it into my hand. I did so because the area I’m in has MANY cats roaming around and I thought the bird would have a much better chance if I moved it from the front yard and into my back yard. While looking at the bird I quickly noticed that it had something noticeably wrong with its eyes and I remember reading about the eye issues on a website a few years ago, but up until this morning I’ve never seen a bird with it and I’ve had bird feeders in my front yard for close to 10 years now. I placed the bird in a lower branch of a tree, but when I went out to check on it I found it back on the ground. Maybe it wanted to get out of the rain? I feel really bad about it, as I don’t know what else I can do other than to let nature run its course.
I’m in Coos Bay also and had House Finches with conjunctivitis the last two years. Just saw another one today. I can tell them, even at a distance, by the feathers that are out of place. Sure enough, spotted one yesterday. I had hoped it had run it’s course. Very heartbreaking to see them with both eyes crusted shut.
We saw a female housefinch in our backyard in Bellingham, Washington. It had an infected eye and was only able to fly for about 30 seconds at a time, and only about ten feet high at most. It kept landing on the ground and did not fly away when we approached, letting us get within a foot of it before flying away.
Great informative site. Came here to learn more about the red finches at our feeders (and trying to learn why we have no yellow finches this spring; they’ve always been here before). Anywho, we had a female red finch last year with this eye disease. Did not know at the time what was going on with her. One eye swollen shut, the other half swollen. Flew very disoriented short flights. Was too weak to fly high up into trees. Came to feeder everyday, perched and ate for hours, and did a short flight back to bottom branches of nearby cedar tree for night. We watched her everyday, sometimes just feet from the feeder. She was getting stronger, but then had a cool nor’easter come through with several rainy days. She disappeared, likely died, at that time. I will be watching out for this condition now that I know what it is. Have not seen any thus far this year. From central NC.
In the last week several Purple Finches came to our feeder in the Elkton area with what appears to be House Finch Eye Disease. Prior to last week the finches in our area showed no signs of this problem. Although we have always tried to keep the feeder clean, we will remove the feeder for several days and follow more closely sanitation methods recommended by Feederwatch and other websites. Thus far, the American Goldfinches and Evening Grosbeaks, that visit the feeder regularly, have shown no signs of this illness. So painful to see these beautiful birds suffering!
We put up our feeder this summering Charlotte NC and have had mostly house finches. One with what appeared to be a bad case of conjunctivitis was at the feeder the other day. We washed out the feeder, then refilled it. Haven’t seen her yet today, all the birds have looked fine.
We are in Claxton, Tenn over by Knoxville. Within the past month we have noticed several House and Cassin’s finches with this eye problem. We have several kinds of birds that visit our feeders but have only noticed it on the finches. So far we have not found or seen any dead ones. Today we cleaned all feeders and the entire porch and all rails plus the bird bath with the bleach solution. We will continue to do this on a weekly basis plus wipe down all feeders daily. We LOVE all animals and do not want to harm any of them. Thank you so much for this site and helpful information… : )
I had a finch at my feeders for several days. She ate ravenously but I could stand 2 feet away and talk to her. I don’t know if she survived; I never found a body. She had one eye very caked and closed but also looked like she had been attacked so not sure if this was conjunctivitis.I am on Vancouver Island in Sooke. I did also see a pine siskin with eye problems. I wash my feeders regularly and rake up old shells. Also feed nothing but black oil sunflower seeds as the birds will not eat the striped seeds.
I have two female house finches with the disease here in Lawrenceville, GA. They are both still visiting the feeders. I am able to get within 12 inches of one before she notices I am there and flies away.
I found this information on a fluke! This now answers what we thought was some sort of eye tumor or horrendously infected eye on a house finch in late June 2017. We saw it for a handful of days at a feeder location. Desert Outdoor Center at Lake Pleasant, Phoenix, Arizona.
I have several of the finches here with the disease. So sad to see this. I had one last week that looked absolutely horrible but haven’t seen it since. Now this morn I see more. 🙁
This is in Wiconisco, PA
I have found 5 dead finches (all female) over the past month. I have no idea what’s been killing them. I have a sunflower seed feeder, a thistle feeder, and a grape jelly/orange feeder for Orioles. The finches visit all of them. I thought they may have been getting stung by bees/hornets when they visited the grape jelly feeder. After stumbling across this forum, I’m not so sure. My wife found another dead finch this morning. I’ll have to pay closer attention to their eyes if I find more.
I live in Middletown, N.J and just signed up for your feeder watch program.
I have a family of 5 house finches in my back yard/feeders. One has this disease in both of its eyes. Sad….. Nine of the other siblings seem to have it…so far. I took some pics today but, I am not sure how to/or if you can, put them up here.
None of the other siblings seem to have it.
Just discovered this disease in my small flock as it grew over the past couple of weeks. One bird flew into the dogs water bucket TWICE it didn’t survive the second time. I scrubbed the water bucket since I was unsure what was wrong with the bird. Now we have another infected. We also have a bald Cardinal?
Hello Julia,
Baldness in cardinals is a normal molt pattern. You can read more here: http://feederwatch.org/learn/unusual-birds/#bald-headed-birds.
Best,
Chelsea Benson, Project Assistant
I just took a pic so close I don’t think that she saw me to well, She was a fintch and flew off when the dog backed we’re in State of Maine. Love bird watching and I hope it doesn’t effect other birds. Where to post a pic would be great!
If you are a member of FeederWatch, there is a link to post photos of sick birds to a special gallery. If you are not a member, you can add photos to a public gallery: http://feederwatch.org/community/participant-photos/.
I’m glad I found this page because I’ve been wondering what is wrong with some of the finches I’ve seen. I’m in Los Angeles and have noticed a few sick finches who linger in the feeder and on our porch. One of them was so out of it today that I was able to pet it — a wild finch! 🙁
Have seen only one or two house finches at my feeders in the last couple years with the eye disease. However this year I have seen a lot. Only house finches seem to be infected. I feed year round and have always taken my feeders down and brought into the basement to clean and Clorox them before refilling with black oil sunflower seed which appears to be the most popular seed in this area of South Central Virginia. I have two feeders and have a variety of species including Goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, sparrows and others. The only ones I have noticed with this disease are the house finches.
I have noticed at least one house finch with this disease. I got so close I was able to touch him; he did not fly away at first. When he did, I realized he could not see properly as his flight was wobbly until he reached a tree branch, almost by instinct. Today I saw what I think was another male who had one crusted eye, but the other was fine. He could not see me when I stood to one side, but when I walked around to the other side he did see me and flew away. I think I have a couple of house finch with this disease. I also have many gold finch, but I have not noticed the problem with those birds. I have several feeders, two regular tube feeders, and three niger feeders. The house finch seem to prefer the regular feeders. I just washed all the feeders but not with bleach, will do so. I live in Warren, NJ.
I have been watching house finches for many years now an have observed many finches with the swollen eyes never new what it was until I ran into this site when I was looking for some info on the house finch, I always thought it was mites or some eye infection, never knew it was on ongoing disease with the house finch. Sad! Anyway! Boy am I going hear it for this, Because they seem to be quite blind I have picked a few from the feeder they are quite calm about it I have cleaned their eyes and and put some anti bacterial eye drops in their eyes marked their feet with nail polished and let them go, surprise they seemed better in about three days did the antibiotic help or did they just got better , I don’t know? Ken, Sussex county NJ….
Here in NW Montana I found a finch in my street today. Nearly blind, very docile. I would like to do as Ken (above) has and try to treat and release. I do not want to spread the disease further. Is treatment an option?
Possessing a wild bird is illegal under the Migratory Bird Treat Act. Treatment must be undertaken by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. You can find someone in your region with this directory: http://bit.ly/WildlifeRehabDirectory.
My research says it is un-treatable incurable.
I am participating in feeder watch for the second time and just became an observer for the Mycoplasma gallisepticum in my finches. To my surprise I identified two infected house finches with eye disease this week. Even though my feeders are close to the house I needed binoculars to see the eye lesions. In the past two summers I observed a respiratory infection/inflammation in my pine siskins that left them unable to eat and drink, rubbing their beaks and “gapping” type behavior. In their attempts to feed they were unable to swallow the seed and had to move their heads rapidly to the sides to shake out the seeds building in their mouth. They eventually became moribund, unable to move and died. Could this be related to the myoplasma in the house finches? If this is a separate disease I am willing to collect specimens to advance any research?
I am looking for some Feeder watch advice. I live in Northern Virginia. Last year I did not have one case of eye disease in the finch population. This year I have seen in in at least 3 different finches. A male and female house since and a male goldfinch. I have followed protocol on the Feeder Watch website and have taken down the feeders, and washed them with a 10% bleach solution. I have waited 2 weeks before rehanging them in the hopes the finches go elsewhere, but to no avail. I have repeated this process 3 times since November and I still have finches with the disease.
My question is this, should I keep up this process of putting feeders up and down and document the number of cases of eye disease? Should I just forget my tube feeders for this season and go with several hanging suet
blocks as the finches are not attracted to those and I need not worry as much about spreading the disease?
Taking them down, throwing out the seed and decontaminating them every week or so is becoming a real chore.
Found a finch on my feeder today (Minnesota) with a swollen eye. Looks like one eye is very swollen. Took the feeder down and cleaned with bleach. If I can capture, should I bring to the local wildlife rehab center or just leave alone.
Hi Brett,
It is illegal for you to possess most wild birds unless you are under the direction of someone licensed for their care. You can take a look at our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases page found here: https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/ to see what type of disease the bird might have, but we would not recommend touching it, especially if it might have salmonellosis. It would be a good idea to take down all your feeders for at least a week to give the birds a chance to disperse and to regularly clean your feeders even when there are no signs of disease.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
For more information on sick birds and what to do if you find one, please visit our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases page found here:https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
Montréal, Québec
A female house finch comes visit every day (5th floor balcony in the heart of the city). She’s been coming for approx. a few weeks. This relatively warm January day (above freezing) in an otherwise rather cold winter, she has stayed extra long – at least two hours – and is still here. Right now she seems to be dozing. I think she is sick, because her eyes don’t seem to open that well, but it’s hard to know for sure as I’m no bird expert. I haven’t noticed any of the other symptoms (swelling, crusting). At the moment the top of her chest is rather puffed out. She comes by herself, is not scared off easily by other birds; basically ignores them. Typical routine: she eats quite a bit (black sunflower seeds in the shell), then goes over to an area of the balcony where there is leftover snow, and has some of that. Then rests, then eats more. She doesn’t fly particularly well, but somehow makes her way somewhere else for the night. It’s sad, I hope she gets better! I put out a small amount of seeds and chopped unsalted peanuts every day, in a small dish – which the chickadees and nuthatches like too. I toss out the leftovers every day or so, and cleaning (with bleach) the plastic tray underneath the dish, as well as the little dish. I wonder if I shouldn’t stop feeding this way altogether to protect the other birds. But I feel I would be abandoning her. Any comments or advice are welcome.
I have just moved to the mountains of North Caroline. Should I not start feeding the birds because of the eye disease? This disease is new to me and I don’t want to help spread it. But I have also read to feed them so they won’t starve and can fight off the disease. I love watching the birds but I don’t want to harm them.
Hi G,
You can still feed the birds, don’t worry. Our recommendation is to clean feeders regularly throughout the season, and to take more drastic measures only when you start noticing sick birds. These measures include limiting the supply of food that House Finches eat and taking down feeders for at least a week to help the sick birds disperse. For more detailed information about when and how to do these things, please take a look at our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases page found here: https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
On January 21, I had a House Finch show up at my feeder in North Bay, Ontario. A House Finch in northern Ontario is considered to be a rare visitor and I don’t believe any have been seen here for about 15 to 20 years. It came on and off to the feeder from late morning to early afternoon when a Barred Owl swooped into my yard scaring off all the birds. When the owl left, all but the House Finch returned. I have not seen it since. I had an opportunity to examine it closely with binoculars and with photos I took. It did not have an eye disease.
I’m located in Southwest Michigan, and have a female house finch frequenting my window feeder that has it in one eye. The other is looking a little squinty. Haven’t been able to get a good photo of it, as it is never facing the right direction.
I noticed a female goldfinch with crusty eyes at my feeder this morning. It was shaking it’s head and having trouble seeing as it flew. It landed on a porch railing very close to me so I was able to get a good look at it. One eye looked wet and crusty but the other eye had some kind of growth hear the eye that pretty much made it impossible for the bird to see. I have had quite a number of house finches and goldfinches at my feeders this winter, but this is the first one I have seen with an eye disease. I took down my nyger seed feeder today and will take the rest down tomorrow. I am located in Whitby, Ontario (East of Toronto).
I live in the Ausin Texas area. I have a male housefinch that has the eye disease. He’s having trouble seeing and consequently flies slowly and has trouble getting to the purches (although he finds them) , but otherwise he appears strong and squabbles and fights with the other birds for food and position. He’s been around for a while and is surviving so far (most of the time you don’t see them for long). I’ve noticed him around for over two weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he survives.
It’s just March here in Pa. and I have seen two finches with the eye disease. I am removing my feeders today. They should be able to forage for their food now without help from feeder food. I have never seen the disease infected birds this early in the year.
I have seen two cases here in Northern Ohio one winter 2017-18 and just today it’s April the eyes are swollen shut or grown over sometimes you see movement of the eye when I’m watching him hopefully it’s the same one I seen last year and it’s not spreading
Positive sighting of eye infection in both eyes of female house finch. Left eye completely dissolved into red mass; right eye sealed shut. Fort Collins, Colorado, April 17, 2018
Many people think that when disease is spread from one bird to another at a tube feeder it’s when an infected bird places his/her head inside the feeding port and leaves its germs there. Well, I’m not completely sold on that concept and here’s why. When birds are dining from a tube feeder they are very careful not to come into contact with the sides of the portal in which they’re placing their heads to access the food. It would be extremely careless of them to scrape or rub their faces/heads against the sides. If you watch birds closely at a feeder, you’ll notice that when they finish eating they always rub their beaks on a firm hard surface before flying away. The perch in which they’re sitting on when eating is almost always the place they rub on. And that’s where the disease is left for the next bird to come into contact with and possibly contract.
I saw at least 5 house finches ( male and females) with very swollen eyes.
Massapequa, Long Island April 23, 2018
I live in Northern Nevada and have seen two finches with crusted over eyes.
I recently took photos of two spotted towhees in my yard that are badly infected with what appears to be Mycoplasma gallisepticum. I first spotted them in March. Although I have taken down my tube feeders, they are still around or they have infected others.
I have seen a male house finch with swollen eyelids at my feeders on and off for the past seven days. I only now learned of this disease. I will definitely treat my feeders and watch out for this going forward. (Minneapolis/St Paul MN)
I live in Philadelphia and I have a Song Sparrow that has this disease that has been coming to my feeder.
I have never seen this before. I currently have the affected bird in a cage far from outside birds. We have been cleaning his eyes and he looks better today. Do they recover from this? He is the only bird who seems to be afflicted.
Oh and I live in San Diego right near the border with Mexico
Hi Diane,
Sometimes House Finches recover and sometimes not. It depends on a multitude of things. We do recommend that you contact your local wildlife rehabilitator about the sick bird – only licensed wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians can legally treat wild birds. We recommend that you clean your feeders regularly, and especially so if you start to see more afflicted individuals – though when you see more it is often best to leave your feeders down for a week or so to give the sick birds a chance to disperse.
Let us know if you have further questions at feederwatch@cornell.edu.
I live in Murfreesboro Tennessee. I have a female House Finch with at least 1 eye completely closed. She comes to the feeder every day. I am concerned of it spreading to other birds.
We have had a large number of finches at our bird feeders since the beginning of summer. In the last two
days we have discovered 3 finches with affected eyes. We immediately took down the feeders and emptied
the bird bath. Our location is just northeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is heartbreaking to see these poor
birds because we know their fate.
Thank you so much for providing information about how to identify and prevent the spread of the bacteria, particularly the information about soaking/disinfecting tube feeders. House Finches have dominated a large tube feeder that I put out this spring (first house, first bird feeder). I noticed a blind male displaying an appearance and behavior similar to what has been noted in other posts. Worrying about him, and just thinking that he was born blind or with a congenital issue of some kind, I sat nearby with my binoculars (–no, I’m not old, just really nerdy). I noticed at least 2 other birds with similar appearance but not as worse off. This is just a few days after I found a dead finch nearby the feeder. (I am making a connection in my head, but admittedly did not investigate the appearance of that bird closely.) All in all, I started to freak out about what could be causing this, and I am very glad to have found the information needed — thanks again. Also, I am not sure if it is possible for a bird to have avian conjunctivitis and avian pox, but one did have a moderate-sized lump on the base of her beak. Long story short, that feeder is soaking in 10% bleach solution as we speak. Located in Indianapolis, IN.
I had never heard of this until I found a finch just sitting on my stairs out front, blinded from eyes sealed shut. I am in Charlottesville, VA. Trying to keep him fed and watered and safe and hope that he gets through this ?
Thank you for this web site and information. We have large population of House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch visiting our feeders. We have observed infected birds more often as summer progressed. Now starting to notice dead birds in yard when never observed before. Have removed feeders and now cleaning as recommended. Any future sightings of diseased birds and we will follow recommendation to remove feeders for one week to disperse population. (Location Anaheim Hills California)
I just found this from searching the symptoms of the male finch that was found on my windowsill. We brought it inside and cleaned it up. We thought it had been assaulted by a predator, now we know better. He was very thirsty, drank from my hand. He’s resting now, not afraid, we got food, cage, etc. I hope he survives and is not blinded. I will call Animal control again on monday; it’s saturday and they were closed! One eye is worse than the other, so maybe he has a chance. I’m in Newport News, VA so unfortunatly the disease is still prevalent this many years from the start of research. I am not giving up on trying to find some treatment to help this little guy.
UPDATE: He didn’t make it overnight.
Oh, and I forgot to mention… this bird is located on Southeast Arkansas (Monticello). October 5 2018.
I live in Florence, KY, and I started noticing house finches with eye problems around August this summer. The first finch which aroused my curiosity had what appeared to be seed chaff stuck around the eye turned outward from the feeder. I was able to approach the finch and see up close how red and swollen was the eye and that what I thought was seed chaff was actually some kind of crusty growth around the eye. I was able to get within a foot of the finch, examine it, and retreat without startling it, so I presume the finch was blind in that eye. Since then I have observed a number of finches with bad eyes and symptoms such as repeatedly shaking their heads, rubbing their eyes on whatever is handy, sitting in oblivion in various places (ground, window sill, etc.) with their heads turned back, buried in their feathers, breathing rapidly and shallowly, and “shivering” periodically. I have found two dead finches with bad eyes; and I recently found a finch with no outward symptoms of eye disease which may have flown into a window and fallen to the concrete below. After a couple minutes, it died in my hand. Yesterday I saw a little puffball of a finch sitting under my car. Although it’s the first week of October, it looked like a fledgling. It paid little attention to me, and I was able to get within a foot of it. It had its head turned back, buried in its feathers; and its little downy chest was heaving, like it was having trouble breathing. I figured it was sick, so I left it alone. A while later, it was gone. After seeing this bird, I Googled “finch eye disease” and found this website. Now I know what is going on. A few miles away, in Erlanger, KY, there is a poultry farm where both chickens and turkeys are raised. I suspect this could be the local source for the disease. One other note, a couple weeks ago while visiting the grocery store, I saw what was either a sparrow or a finch which was pure white – an albino!
I was so occupied thinking about the local turkey/chicken farm, I forgot that my next door neighbor has a single chicken! Even though it doesn’t appear to have a problem with either eye, could it still be the source of the conjunctivitis?
Hi Jeff, Though House Finch eye disease did originate from a pathogen found in poultry, that chicken would need to have the strain that mutated in a way that allowed it to cross species. In any case, it is highly unlikely that your neighbors chicken is a source of disease for the House Finches, even more so if it does not appear to have symptoms. The eye disease is spread from coming into close contact with other birds that have the infection, such as using the same port hole on a feeder as an infected bird. To prevent spread of the disease, we highly recommend cleaning your feeders regularly with a 10% bleach solution, even if there are no signs of the disease in your birds.
Since my last post, I’ve also seen gold finches and purple finches with the eye disease, and just today (10/25/2018) I noticed a male cardinal with the eye disease in one eye. I cleaned my three feeders a couple weeks ago. How often must they be cleaned? I would think they would become contaminated as soon as they are back in use after cleaning. Do the birds become infected by brushing up against the material (plastic, wood, etc.) from which the ports are formed? Would it be better to have ported feeders with wider trays into which the seed falls? Would it be better if the ports were set at a greater distance above the trays? Would it would be better to not have ported bird feeders at all, e.g., just covered platforms? Does anyone know of an optimum style of bird feeder which would minimize or eliminate infection by contact with the feeder itself? Thank you!
Waukesha, WI. I see probably 5+ per year here… finches with the infection. And currently have one at my feeder now.
I live in Fort Payne, Alabama. This week I found a house finch by my feeders and it has Mycoplasma gallisepticum eye disease. This is the first one I’ve seen so far.
Last year I had literally over 50 gold finch that I found dead or dying in my yard from some sort of respiratory disease. I called so many organizations and no one could help me or seemed to be concerned with the issue. In the past two weeks I have found 2 dead goldfinch. I hope that this disease is not continuing. Does anyone know which organization might be interested in knowing about this.
Hi Belinda, You can report birds with eye disease to us by participating in Project FeederWatch (when you report goldfinches, the page will ask if you have seen eye disease in the birds at your count site), but unfortunately we don’t have a way for you to report about other diseases. Our best advice would be to talk to your local Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources office or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Also, it’s a good idea to clean your feeders regularly (weekly to biweekly) with a bleach solution and avoid using any chemicals such as herbicides or insecticides, in or around your lawn. Prevention is the best way to help stop the spread of disease.
I have a male purple finch with mycoplasma conjunctivitis in one eye. He has been treated with antibiotics and released. I have been feeding birds for many years and watch the birds daily. I have never seen this problem before. I live in NW Alabama.
I have just witnessed a male cardinal in our fly-thru feeder with large yellow crusty circles around each eye. Both eyes are affected and his beak seems to have some damage also. The eyes are still open but the crust is very evident against his red coloring. I leave in West Central Wisconsin. We have been feeding birds for many years and this is the first time I have seen something like this. He can still eat and flies away, only to return each morning and evening. The female cardinal that travels with him does not appear to have the condition.
I have found over 20 finches affected. I have removed my feeders will the disease go away or will they continue to die it is affecting every kind of finches
Hi Cheryl,
Removing feeders helps the sick birds to disperse, so that they do not come in contact with other birds and spread the disease. Keeping them down will not prevent the spread of disease entirely, but it will take away a possible location where the disease is being spread. However, if you keep seeing these sick birds, we recommend cleaning your feeders on a weekly basis with a bleach solution, being sure to scrub away any debris that has accumulated. This help prevent he spread of disease. You can also try providing food that is not preferred by the affected species – take a look at our Common Feeder Birds tool to see what kinds of food attract each species. If you have any additional questions, please email us at feederwatch@cornell.edu.
A female house finch was around the yard all winter, usually by herself. Odd behavior, quiet, slow, kind of a loner, but eating and drinking. A few days ago, I spotted her in the back yard rather than front yard. Same behavior, cautious, quiet, slow, but now I noticed her seeming to have difficulty with swallowing/digesting, then would just sit in the sun and fall asleep at the feeder. I was able to get within inches, and I noticed her eyes looked problematic. Wasn’t sure if she had weathered a predator or just a deformity from young. She didn’t seem to be able to hear me either. She tried to vocalize but it was very weak. I was really surprised that she made it through the winter, especially February with nearly 40″ of snow and polar vortex. It was brutal, and she made it through that. Googled eye diseases in wild birds, came upon this information. We definitely have a female house finch with this eye problem, confirmed. So sad. Breaks my heart. Thanks for the information and steps we can take to help prevent the spread.
Burnsville, Minnesota
I just caught one on my sunflower seed feeder. She’d managed to get onto the feeder, and was eating, but when I saw her, both her eyes were shut, so I grabbed her and used warm water and paper towels to clean her eyes. She can now see out of one eye, but not the other. I was going to take her to the SPCA tomorrow to see if they can fix her eyes. Is there a cure for this?
Hi Robin, Please contact your local wildlife rehabilitator for advice with this bird. We also recommend cleaning your feeders by scrubbing all the debris off and soaking them in a bleach solution. This should be done weekly to biweekly, even when there’s no sign of disease. More detailed information can be found on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage.
I have just noticed 3 house finches with the disease. 2 males and1 female. This is in Burbank, California. Cleaning the feeder area and discontinuing feeding for a couple weeks.
The feeding area is in southeastern Dinwiddie County Virginia. The feeding area has about 7 tube feeders and 5 suet feeders. I have many birds (mostly finches) visiting daily. Sometimes well over a hundred in the feeding area and in the adjacent trees. I have seen many house finches and gold finches with this condition, living and dead. I have noticed this issue in previous years, but not to the extent that I am now. I will endeavor to sanitize the feeding area soon and keep it cleaner than I have in the past. Thank you very much for the information.
I found a male house finch with conjunctivitis in both eyes. I found him on the sidewalk and he didn’t move when we approached him. I don’t think he can see well, since he was easy to catch and could only fly a short distance. I put him in a cardboard box with a cloth. I’ll try to contact our local wildlife rescue organization in the morning to see what can be done to help him. I will sanitize the feeders tomorrow and clean underneath the feeders..
Thanks for the information on how we can try to prevent this disease from spreading.
Davis California
We have one house finch at our feeder with this eye disease. We are in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. We first noticed the issue because the bird who has the disease seemed to have no fear of us and did not fly away when we approached. In fact, it startled me when I walked by the feeder within inches and the bird was still there. This is the only bird I’ve seen with this disease so far. Is there someone in Colorado we should notify?
Hi Kathy,
The best thing to do when you see a sick bird is to clean your feeders with a bleach solution. We have a lot of helpful tips and information on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, contact your local certified wildlife rehabilitator before acting – as only they and wildlife veterinarians are legally allowed to treat wild birds. Regardless, keeping your feeders and your feeder area clean is the best way to prevent the disease from spreading. Let us know if you have further questions at feederwatch@cornell.edu.
with the large numbers of doves and cardinals I have recently noticed what appears to be a blind house finch coming to the feeder located in Lawton Oklahoma…..
noticed a blind house finch at the feeder lately in Lawton, Oklahoma
I am currently providing hospice care to a blind house finch in Pasadena CA. I have been caring for this bird for over a month (Since March 15 2019) and the eyes have increased in crustiness at least 4 X from when it was found. I saw another infected bird in my backyard last week that was still flying and trying to navigate but it was obvious it was having trouble seeing. I called the Audobon society to see if they were tracking numbers and locations of these sick birds and the person I spoke to was not aware of any studies.
Hi Carolynne, It may be a good idea to contact your local certified wildlife rehabilitator for further advice, as they and wildlife veterinarians are the only people legally allowed to treat wild birds. The best thing you can do at your home is to clean your feeders weekly-biweekly, making sure to scrub all debris from the feeders and then soaking them in a bleach solution. This helps prevent the spread of the disease. For more information, check out our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases web page. As for tracking the disease, those who participate in FeederWatch are asked if they see eye disease in the finches reported to have come to their feeders each week during the winter. There are no current studies that I am aware of using this information, but it has been used in the past and will likely be used again in the future.
About one month ago, a neighbor posted that she saw two house finches with conjunctivitis. One week later I noticed a finch with crusty eyes. I took the feeder down cleaned it with a 1:10 bleach solution and rehung it one week later. 10 days after that, I saw two house finches with crusty eyes. Should I remove the feeder permanently?
I don’t want to spread the disease, but I will really miss the birds. I am in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Hi Bonny, You shouldn’t have to remove your feeders just yet. Make sure you’re cleaning your feeders regularly – weekly to biweekly – if you start to see several sick birds coming to your feeders, you can take them down for a week or two to encourage the birds to disperse. Permanent removal would prevent them from congregating in your yard (where disease is often spread) yes, but they do congregate naturally, and there are likely other feeders nearby that they may be visiting as well, so taking them down periodically when the sick birds are seen should help prevent the spread of disease while still allowing you to keep the feeder up.
In November, 2018, I counted 19 finches (several types) visiting our backyard feeder. I noticed that 2 of them had a crusty, closed eye. I took down the feeder, disinfected it with bleach and re-hung it in February 2019. So far only 3 house finches have appeared and one of them has the eye virus. I disinfect the feeder every day before putting it out on a daily basis. I have no plans to permantely remove it. …Very sad because last year we had at least 5 finch families nesting in our backyard. Now there are none.
For the last 6 years, I have had numerous families of House Finch (red) nesting in the eaves under the front of my house roof, a generous overhang. The first couple of years I saw one or two nests at any time. This year I have 6. When I put seed out, I attract the attention of squirrels and this year fat aggressive squirrels have raided the slight blue eggs. I also had a duck so, no more feeding for me. My finches have bright clear eyes and it is only this evening reading this that I am aware there is a terrible disease afflicting these tiny creatures. Heart twisting. I have become quite used to their song. In the back of the house we have doves, chickadees, titmouse, and in the very back, squirrels. In general, I plant for pollinators and birds, without pesticides. The finches do eat seeds and blossoms from certain plants. The finches have so far refused to use any bird houses I’ve hung.
Hi Jay Bear, House Finches are not cavity-nesters, and so will not nest in bird houses. Feel free to visit our sister project, NestWatch, to learn more about House Finches and other common nesting birds. As for eye-disease, the best way to prevent the spread of disease is by cleaning your feeders, however, taking them down is similarly effective. If you decide to put them back up at any point, we recommend following the best practices for cleaning bird feeders.
Jay Baar post please add that I am in Denver, CO
Fairly definite eye disease (right eye) since winter – now mid-May – female house finch. Blind in rt eye. But able to feed, drink & fly with great deal of unusual hovering/fluttering. St. George Utah.
I live in Hershey, Nebraska and this year, I have found several finches who are unable to fly any distance and that appear to be blind with swollen and matted eyes. To date, we have found 4 finches who have all died. They are easy to spot because they try to fly, fluttering their wings and not being able to fly anywhere because they can’t see. They also sit by themselves and mostly in the sun. I’ve tried to help them but have no idea what to do other than keep the predator birds away from them. This morning, I had two black birds attacking one small finch who was blind. I chased them away and the finch hopped to another spot in the yard. I doubt he will survive. I had no idea about cleaning the feeder but will do that as soon as possible. It’s horrible to watch these poor birds slowly die of starvation and not be able to help them in some small way. Thank you for your information regarding this disease.
We found a young female finch sitting on the feeder at 3pm and it was still there at 11pm. We did not know anything was wrong with its eyes as the feeders are high on the ceiling of our porch, to protect the birds from predators and to keep the feed dry. She was there throughout the night but we did not want to risk her flying and our not being able to see where she went so we waited until 5:30 a.m, before daybreak when other birds would come to the feeder and possibly harm a sick bird, and collected her. The back of her head had an open wound, from one side of her skull to the other that looked to be 2-3 days old. Her eyes were heavily encrusted, red and badly swollen and when I applied Vetericyn to clean the crust away, pus oozed from one of her eyes. I took her to a vet that is a bird rehabber and she identified the problem as Mycoplasma and took her into care. The bird was a decent weight and was obviously flighted.
I just identified a bird that frequents my “feeder” (window ledge) as a male House Finch. Never seen one before. Then as I was surfing for more info I came across this site. I have two Blink Motion Sensor Security Camera’s set up that take video clips of any one that visits my window ledge. He looks quite healthy and today we even chirped back and forth with each other. Happy little guy. Oldsmar, Florida (Tampa Bay Area)
I live in Oakland, and seen one finch with bulging eyes. DO I HAVE TO REMOVE MY FEEDER? Oh my. So sad….
Hi Dorothy, If you see a sick bird, we recommend cleaning your feeders. We have guidelines on how to do so on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases and Safe Feeding Environment web pages. If you start to see more sick birds, it’s a good idea to remove your feeders for at least a week to help the sick birds disperse. Regardless, regularly cleaning your feeders is the best way to help prevent the disease from spreading.
House finch with eye disease in one eye observed at my patio feeder, Denver, CO. Fingers crossed that she or he (fledgling) will make it.
House finch with red swollen eye – can find her way to feeder still – can approach feeder and she doesn’t fly away. Blind or going blind- flew around in tree leaves til she could feel a branch to sit on. Westminster Colorado
Hi Maria, If you see a sick bird, we recommend cleaning your feeders. We have guidelines on how to do so on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases and Safe Feeding Environment web pages. If you start to see more sick birds, it’s a good idea to remove your feeders for at least a week to help the sick birds disperse. Regardless, regularly cleaning your feeders is the best way to help prevent the disease from spreading.
Hi,
My feeders have had one sick house finch with crusty eye swollen shut and beak with crusty deposits. Then a week later I’ve seen 2 sick mourning doves with eye disease, opac eyes with crust and beaks crusty as well. The disease seems to be spreading to doves now. I am just terribly distressed about this. These birds are blind and have their feathers all puffed out. I will take my feeders down for a week. So sad.
Tamara in North West New Mexico
I’m in NE Pa. , and just this week I have noticed at least 3 finches with this disease .
Hi Lawrence, If you see a sick bird, we recommend cleaning your feeders. We have guidelines on how to do so on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases and Safe Feeding Environment web pages. If you start to see more sick birds, it’s a good idea to remove your feeders for at least a week to help the sick birds disperse. Regardless, regularly cleaning your feeders is the best way to help prevent the disease from spreading.
Have seen 1 male red finch and 1 female affected, seem almost totally blind here in rome PA. Today a goldfinch also has eye issues.
Took photos of the male finch and goldfinch if interested. Will remove and clean all feeders.
Here in Augusta, GA we just put up feeders not to long ago. And I just noticed a flock of finches here. Light red heads on some. And some light brown. Anyway there’s at least 2 that are completely blind. And 2-3 more that can see but you can tell their eyes are irritated and in pain. They let me walk right up to them. Poor hearts. Kills me to me to see them like this. Quick question does anyone know if this is contagious for dogs? I know the birds tend to use the water dishes for the dogs.
Hi Jessica, The symptoms sound like your birds might have House Finch eye disease, which has not been found to affect more than a handful of bird species, much less dogs. However, birds can carry other diseases that are transmittable to humans and dogs, such as Salmonellosis. We recommend cleaning your feeders, and the dog’s bowl, regularly to help prevent the spread of disease. You can learn more about how best to clean your feeders on our web page.
I have a sticky infected left eye House Finch sitting in my feeder for long periods over past few days eating or just resting. The infected eye is turned to the window, and good eye to the incoming birds who ignore it and grab a seed. It still flies off at night and clearly perches elsewhere. I wouldn’t say the left eye is completely blind, but sight may be impaired. I wonder if these finches are passing through (I’m in central Massachusetts) or if they’ll stay all winter.
Hi Leslie, If you see a sick bird at your feeders, the best thing is to take them down and clean them. We have more information on sick birds and how to clean your feeders here. If you are particularly worried about an individual, contact your local wildlife rehabilitator – handling or treating native birds requires a federal permit.
I live in northern California and ‘my’ house finch population was huge, with several nests every year. I had noticed a decline over the last few years and this spring saw a finch with only one eye. Then a friend told me he had seen a ‘one-eyed’ bird at his feeders, too. I looked into it and learned about the finch eye disease. By that time I had already taken my feeders down for ‘fledgling’ time. Now, even before I put my feeders back up, I haven’t seen one single house finch for a few months. I fear the disease has taken a huge toll on the finch population her, but still hope to see a house finch or two visit my feeders.
We have a window bird feeder (suction cups attach it to the window) at my office in Ames, Iowa. This summer a house finch had swollen eyes and seemed to not be able to see well. I don’t know if it’s the same one or not but now we have a house finch who apparently can’t see and eyes are no longer swollen but seem to be crusted over. An employee went outside and was able to get very close to the bird before it haphazardly flew off. Mind you it’s winter in Iowa now and I wonder if the bird will survive the winter. It seems content to stay perched on the rim of the bird feeder for long periods of time during the day.
The summer of 2018 I had a house Finch that was blind and couldn’t fet around well/fly. It stayed right in the birdfeeder cage and I left it so it got nutrition. I didn’t think about a disease. Now that I know better, I’ll be regularly cleaning the feeder with a bleach solution. Still have plenty of house finches that come, as well as other birds. I live in Parker, Colorado.
I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. The other day when I went out to refill my bird feeder which hangs in a crabapple tree, a house finch which was eating from the feeder had no concern about getting off the feeder as I approached. I got within about six feet of this finch before it finally flew from the feeder. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t afraid of me, until I looked at the pictures I had taken of it. From those photos I could see that its eyes were crusty and cloudy rather than glassy, and I began to think that it was blind. In retrospect, when it flew from the feeder, it bumped into some tree branches before clumsily getting its footing on a branch.
I live in Yucca, AZ way out in the desert. I just saw and photographed an infected female house finch drinking from the several 5-gallon water buckets I set out for the birds and other animals. One eye was so swollen it was blind and the other eye is getting there. The bird had to hover and rotate a couple of times to properly navigate over to the bucket rim and I am fairly sure it cannot live for that much longer being so impaired. I may have seen a second house finch with a lower grade infection, but I didn’t photograph it and cannot verify it for certain.
I only provide water and do not feed the birds, since I operate a cactus and succulent nursery and found out long ago that adding an avian food source also incidentally fed rodents such as pack rats and ground squirrels, which multiplied within 7 to 8 months to add a whole new level of problems to plant consumption, so I ceased feeding operations for everyone. But I am happy to provide water, which in an isolated desert environment is almost just as helpful. (Also I do plant nectar and seed source plants so various birds can forage on their own, but in a dispersed manner.) I change the water every 2 or 3 days in summer, but do so less often in winter because cold temperatures retard algal and bacterial growth and there are few or no insects also falling into the water to foul it in that season. I’ve not used bleach to clean the buckets before, but may have to start. Also, this is the first time I’ve seen such a noticeably bad case of conjunctivitis here – most house finches appear healthy and I see them daily. I’ve not seen it on any other bird species either out of those visiting to drink. Any suggestions for sanitation would be appreciated.
I noticed a sick house finch today when it flew into my tall fence three times before finding a bush. I would be happy to have it join my quarantine but it kept landing in places I could not safely reach. I have alerted the neighbors that feeders need to be added to pandemic cleaning protocols.
I live in Brooklyn, NY between Greenwood Cemetery and Prospect Park. Bird patterns are noticeably different now. I have had more sightings of the green parrots that make their home in the cemetery in my yard in the past two months than in most years.
Will humans getting sick change the way the birds do?
Hi Muir, Please note that it is illegal to handle to treat wild birds without federal permits. You can learn more about House Finch eye disease here – some individuals have recovered. The best thing to do when you see a sick bird is to clean your feeders. Cleaning them regularly – weekly to bi-weekly – is the best way to help prevent the spread of disease. You can find out how to do so according to the latest research here.
I’m in Albuquerque, NM and recently had a nest of house finches in my light fixture. We had just moved from Ohio and the nest was already there. I enjoyed watching the mom and the 5 babies grow, until recently. Two flew the nest, then the remaining three lingered for some time. One flew out and was at the base of my sliding doors and it looked like it didn’t have one eye. A few days later I found another fledgling just sitting in my rocks with what looked like two eyes closed. I found yet another in the same condition. I haven’t read that this eye disease was prevalent in babies? I didn’t even know this was as thing! I’ve since removed my feeder of course. I’m torn about even putting it back (knowing I need to clean it far more often). Should I be concerned about my foundation that birds occasionally drink/bathe in? It was awful seeing these baby birds knowing they likely won’t make it.
We found a fledgling house finch in Rifle, Colorado a few days ago. He was near a lot of traffic and looked to be abandoned. He did not appear scared and did not fly away as we approached. Both eyes looked weepy and a little red around the edges. We took him home to figure out next steps with a professional. During this time the sweet bird ate well, pooped well, chirped, had a good waking and sleeping schedule, and even took some test flights. But this morning there were no more chirping sounds from his sleeping box. He passed away overnight with no signs of distress. I’m heartbroken and so are my children.
Apparently we have a House Finch with this eye desease? Here is a link to my photo on Inaturalist.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/48181520#activity_identification_107359552
Hi Bill, yes it looks like your bird has Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
San Jose CA here. So sad to see a couple of our house finches suffer from this disease. We have about 20 or so finches that live in our backyard tree. We clean our feeders and birdbaths twice a month but it’s hard to find the time to clean them more frequently. My husband recently asked if it would be better to kill the 2 that have the disease. I told him No Way…. but now he’s got me thinking. He loves our bird but his reasoning is that if taking those birds out reduces the spread of the disease then wouldn’t it be better for the whole flock? I don’t know. I’m torn.
Advice?
Hi Mari, Please ntoe that it is against federal law to harm a native bird, even if it’s sick. Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is also against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
Cincinnati, OH we have one finch in our yard/feeder area with this right now who’s not doing so hot. Is there anything we can do for her?
Hi Sarah, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
I had 2 finches last year in 2019 that had this. I’ve recently noticed this past week that 2 maybe 3 or a few more finches have contracted this. I’m going to remove all of my feeders now for a couple of weeks and clean them thoroughly. Will the removal and cleaning allow the infected birds time to heal naturally, or will they remain infected and worsen? Last year I was able to feed both from my hand until they were more healthy to feed on their own. I didn’t know how to help them any other way until I started researching the issue. Is it best to try and catch the birds and take them to rehabilitation, or allow them the course of nature? Can they still infect others if not eating from my feeders over a few weeks? Will the disease go away naturally over time, or does it require human intervention to protect them? Any replies are appreciated.
Thanks, Anthony
Hi Anthony, Please note that treating or handling wild birds is against federal law unless you’re under the direction of a certified wildlife rehabilitator, or have the proper permits. Some birds do survive this disease, but it’s not well-known how long infection lasts – it likely varies. Our recommendations are to take your feeders down and clean them at least once every one to two weeks to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders. If you start to see more sick birds, then taking the feeders down for a week or two will help the sick birds disperse. These birds do not need human intervention – every bird who survives on their own can pass those good genes on to their offspring. You can learn more about House Finch Eye Disease here.
I’m in Blountville, TN and that eye crusting disease is in epidemic proportions here. Many house Finch with it and for the first time I seen it on a male cardinal. A golden Finch male also. Probably 15 in all that were sick. I soak down the feeder when we put it away at night to prevent the racoons from breaking it. I spray 75% alcohol all over the feeder every night and rub a thin layer of triple antibiotic on the perch. The sick population has gone down to about 3 to 5 that are still sick. Hoping this knocks it out completely. This is the worse year yet but the fastest recoup rate with the use of the alcohol and triple antibiotic ointment. Then I read not to tx. 😳 Oops. Oh well, shouldn’t I continue since the response is good?
Hi Tina, the best thing to do when you see sick birds at your feeders is to take them down and clean them. Then, keep up a cleaning schedule, cleaning feeders once every week or two. Research shows the best way to clean feeders is to scrub them with hot soapy water to get rid of all of the debris and old seeds, and then soak the clean feeders in a weak bleach solution for at least 10 minutes. You can read more details on cleaning feeders here. Antibiotics may get rid of most bacteria, but those that survive can multiply and then there is the potential for antibiotic-resistance. Additionally, there is likely no way to completely eliminate the disease, as the birds can spread it among themselves and while at other feeders. The best that you can do is keep your feeder station clean.
Hi – I’m in Coos Bay OR and have created an incredible multi bird migration stop with multiple feeders at different locations around our home. I use only black sunflower seeds and have multiple varieties of bird species that visit year round. I do clean some of the feeders and after reading this blog, will clean more frequently in the future. Just this year we’ve noticed 4 or 5 purple male finches out of a estimated minimum of 30 with the eye issues. They started showing up in February this year and are still around. We presumed they were fledglings initially as well! They seem to favor the feeders with a broader landing for obvious reasons – easier to see and land on with limited vision…I’m taking those two feeders down today and replacing with the wider body tubular feeders. We have not seen the disease with the females or any other species of bird that visit our feeders. Thanks for the blog – all very interesting!
We have a House Finch in Lakewood Colorado with House Finch eye disease (also called Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis). 8/24/2020
Yesterday I saw my 2nd infected bird since living at this location. The first I saw 3.5 years ago at a port style feeder. It was a house finch. I removed the port style feeder, until last week when I gave it another try (yes it had been bleached before I stored it and it was cleaned with soap and water before I used it again). Yesterday’s infected bird was a female purple finch. The eye was really bad. It was swollen very large and completely shut. I removed the feeder and have not seen her today. I will never use another port style feeder!
Hi Marviene, Port-style feeders are OK to use, as long as you have a regular cleaning schedule in place. We recommend cleaning feeders once every 1-2 weeks to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders. You can learn more about bird diseases and how to best clean feeders here.
I am in Huntersville, NC. Sorry, forgot to include that in my report.
I have an infected female house finch at my feeder.
She must be nearly or completely blind in her right eye because she didn’t see me move to go for my binos and return. I did not see the left eye.
Wildwood, MO west of St. Louis.
Hi Valerie, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
So very sad to be watching my sunflower seed feeder today only to discover three male house finch with this eye problem. I’d seen it before, but usually in one finch. Today, because of the numbers infected, I finally researched the condition. My feeders were also attracting Black Grosbeaks, Scrub Jays, Tanagers and Nuthatches but for awhile, they are coming down. I will miss watching the birds. Sure wish there was some way to heal the sick ones!
Hi Diane, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them, but once they’re clean, you can replace them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
Observed 4 cases So far of House Finch eye disease in our back yard in Atlantic Beach, FL. Varying degrees of infection with symptoms ranging from totally blind and unable to fly, huddled in a hedge, to mild case with slightly erratic flight. Regular removal and cleaning and sanitizing our feeders only helps temporarily. Too many other neighboring yards with feeders. Hope there is immunity in the future. We have had multiple generations of house finch families over the years. Disease is clearly getting worse.
Hi Tom, thanks for staying vigilant and cleaning your feeders! Research shows keeping a regular cleaning schedule (once every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders, though you’re right that birds can still catch and spread disease at other feeders that may not be so well taken care of, or by naturally congregating in flocks. In any case it may be helpful to know that some birds can recover from eye disease. You can learn more about it here.
We have a suspect house finch in Wilmington North Carolina.. we have captured & medicated the young female.
Responding well to medicated chicken (chick feed) mixed with seed. Regaining strength and eating well.
Hi Kent, It is imperative that you contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. It is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit- birds have very specific nutritional needs. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
I see a purple or red headed finch at my feeder with the eye disease. It’s having trouble flying. I caught it in my hand. It let me hold it for a moment. Lees Summit, MO
Hi Layla, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
I have a house finch that has this disease..female or immature male. Been watching this bird for a few days..didn’t move when I approached or when I stroked it’s back..eyes are red & wet..stay on thistle sock most of the time where it sleeps & eats all day.
Hi Katherine, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
Several finches at my feeder apparently have the eye disease. Disoriented. Uncoordinated.i live in western NC. 20 miles west of asgeville.
Hello, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
A grosbeak appeared in my yard with eye infection in a weakened condition, and was gone when I approached it.
It was the first grosbeak I have seen. Shortly thereafter one of my resident house finches appeared with an infected eye (I thought one of my resident red bellies may have been to blame) but a few days later it appeared again, this time with both eyes involved. The grosbeak. came on 10/13 as a transient, first view of the finch a week later, and with the second eye infected 10/27. Pix are available for both if you are interested.
Hi Bruce, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
I noticed a finch with infected eyes at my feeder today in Knoxville.
Hi Tricia, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. Please also note that it is against federal law to handle to treat wild birds without a federal permit. If you’re particularly worried about an individual, the best thing to do is to call a local wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. If you’re not sure who that is, your state’s wildlife office should have a list of rehabilitators that are federally certified.
I have a finch with crusted eyes at my feeder area . There are many other birds of all types also around. I cleaned my feeders recently. Will the infected bird sicken others? I feel so bad for it clumsily hopping around. It doesn’t seem to be able to get a perch for food. Dover NH
Hi Sandra, The only way to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders is to clean them regularly – once every 1-2 weeks. You can learn more about sick birds and how to clean feeders here.
I saw an infected finch a few weeks ago and took down my large tube feeders. I do clean them properly and regularly. Have them back up again but now seeing several house finches with the eye diseas. Took down feeders again today, so sad. I do have a platform feeder that still has black oil seed, is it recommended to take this down as well? I have done that in the past but would like to know if it is necessary? Also I saw a female cardinal with what appeared to be the eye disease several weeks ago.
Hi Pat, There’s no way to 100% eliminate disease in birds that visit your feeders – they can transmit diseases at other feeders in your neighborhood, and even when they congregate naturally. That said, our recommendations are to clean your feeders regularly (as you are already doing) and when you see multiple birds, take down all feeders for about a week or so to help the sick birds disperse. Please feel free to read more about Sick Birds and Bird Diseases here.
American Goldfinch with the eye conjunctivitis. We have had a family of nine, one was flying strangely this morning so we did some research. Here we are. Setting out to clean the feeder stc from your website.
Weymouth, MA
One house finch with suspected eye disease on my feeder. Does not fly away when approached. Ate quite a bit, now sitting on perch of feeder looking around with feathers puffed out like getting ready to roost. Left eye appears swollen shut, crusty feathers on head around beak and eyes.
I’m in northern Oregon and new to feeding birds. We live in a 1-bedroom apartment, but we’re near the woods, so I set up my first feeder on our 2nd floor patio. Two house finch couples (4 birds) have been at our feeder every day. I’m relieved that none of them seem to be diseased, but will keep an eye out for that in the future.
I’m definitely going to clean my feeder more regularly from now on. It’s made of wood though, I’m worried that it might encourage disease transmission? Should I switch to plastic/glass feeders?
Hi Ty, We recommend using feeders that can be taken apart or are otherwise easy to clean. Wooden feeders aren’t bad, but they may need to be replaced sooner than those made of less absorptive materials. You can clean them according to the directions on our website, but keep an eye out for mold or other signs that the feeders need to be replaced.
I didn’t do the feeder watch project this year, because here in Northern California (East Bay of SF Bay Area), we had to take our feeders down because of the salmonella outbreak. I just put my feeders back up a week ago and was shocked to see this house finch not flying away when I walked up to the feeder. He is definitely partly blind because he had a hard time finding branches in the tree. He only flew away because he heard me. What can I do to help? My feeder is high-traffic. Many breeds visit. I also have seed stackers & bark butter. I’ll keep an eye on them to see if more have the disease. Where can I report if it’s a bigger problem than just this one?
Hi Anouschka, Anytime you see a sick bird, it’s best to take your feeders down and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent the spread of disease, even when you see no sick birds. Be sure to wash hands thoroughly after touching feeders, and never hold or handle a wild bird without being under the direction of someone with the necessary federal permits, such as a wildlife rehabilitator (and, if so, make sure you wear gloves or other protection). You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here. If you start to see more than a few sick birds, you may need to take feeders down again for a week or two to help them disperse. If you need to report many sick birds, we suggest reaching out to your local state wildlife office, who should be more aware of how birds are faring in your local region.
I have noticed finches with matted eyes for, at least, 8-10 years in Delaware, Ohio. I discussed the issue with my vet several years ago and he wasn’t aware of the problem. We have many varieties of birds at our feeders and I’ve only noticed house finches with this disease.
Hi Debby, You can learn more about House Finch Eye Disease on our website here.
I have one female Purple Finch with a severely swollen eye that has been visiting my feeders for about a week in NW Minnesota. I took the tube a platform feeders down, cleaned and bleached them yesterday. She is still here today. I have not yet noticed any other birds being afflicted. Does this ever improve on its own?
Hi Nancy, some birds can recover from eye disease. You can learn more about this disease here, and the best way to clean your feeder here.
Have seen 2 females and one male house finches with matted eyes. I have read to clean bird feeders with a bleach solution which we did today.We have a window feeder so I was able to see that they were nearly blind. I haven’t found any dead birds recently. One female appears to be getting better as she eats & flies to evergreens in our yard. We may have to take all of our feeders down for a while. Live in Vermillion, SD in southeast corner of SD.
Looking forward to watching the Cornell University red-tailed hawk webcam. (Live #CornellHawks Fernow Nest Fixed Cam)
For the past few days, one of the three (probably K1 or K2) has had a closed right eye, which has me worried. I found information about “mycoplasma conjunctivitis” on this blog, and if this one is infected, I am worried about the other two. If anyone has any information, please let me know.
Hi Koya, Red-tailed Hawks have not been known to contract House Finch Eye Disease – this disease has only been found in some finch species. It is often difficult for some diseases to cross the species barrier, and much more so when those species are not closely related. Other afflictions can cause problems with eyes but I am not aware of any issues with the hawks in those cams. Please note that FeederWatch does not manage the cams – that responsibility lies with the Bird Cams team. Please feel free to email them at birdcams@cornell.edu for more information.
We have a small chubby American Goldfinch that we noticed to be slow and would not fly away when approached. Upon close inspection both of his eyes seemed crusted; one seemed fully closed. We first noticed it over a month ago and since then have seen it return to the bath and feeders multiple times, looking better each time. This weekend it was at the small bath/fountain with the other Goldfinches while I had my GoPro running so we got a good look at him up close and this time he had both eyes open and was getting around better. He was still a little slow compared to the other birds and seemed a bit disoriented, but was very noticeably doing a lot better.
Sorry, forgot to mention we are in Southern California.
I have a house finch with a severe case. Its left eye is closed completly and that’s why I can walk up to it without it flying away. The right eye is super pink and looks to be almost closed shut. My neighbors also have tons of bird feeders.. my bird feeder is brand new plus I throw lots of feed in the yard to let everything be able to eat without conflict.
What is the best case of action from here?
Hi Stephen, Anytime you see a sick bird at your feeders, it’s best to take your feeders down for a few days and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
I live in New Castle, IN and this past week I have enountered 2 red finches on my feeders that have this disease apparently. They do not move from the feeders when I am close because I don’t believe they can see me. One red finch had complete whitening of both eyes. The other Red finch seemed to be blinded as well and still didn’t move from the feeder when I got close and seemed to have trouble flying a far distance. Today I am taking my feeders down, disinfecting with vinegar water, thouroughly rinsing and scrubbing any left over residue. Poor little babies, I have watched these finches for 1.5 years now since we bought our home. Their parents always traveled in pairs to the feeders and took sweet care of their babies. This makes me so sad for them as I also feel they are my babies. May God Speed them to a healthy recovery.
Hi, I have a question about how exactly the disease spreads. Is it possible for the (bacteria?) to spread thru the air? I ask this because I have a pet Zebra finch that has his cage adjacent to a sliding glass door in my kitchen. About 5-6 ft. outside said door is my birdbath where hundreds of birds come everyday to bathe. Is it at all possible for the disease to travel thru the air into my house and be infecting my finch. He has had 2 bouts over the last 10 months of a mysterious eye infection. Each time it looked like he had a pea under his closed eyelid with crusty bits and drainage. My vet could only say it was some kind of infection and gave me antibiotics for 3 weeks. It cleared up, but he is blind in that eye and I had to take him back today as it has reoccured several months later, just as bad as the first time. Possible or no? Thanks
Hi Lynne, As far as we’re aware, House Finch Eye Disease is not airborne, but there are many, many other diseases that can affect birds. One thing you can do to help prevent cross contamination is to ensure that you wash your hands thoroughly after touching or handling your wild bird feeders. Some human diseases, like Salmonella, can also be carried by birds. Anytime you see a sick bird at your feeders it’s best to take your feeders down for a few days and clean them. Cleaning them regularly (every 1-2 weeks) is the best way to prevent disease, even when you see no sick birds. You can learn more about bird diseases and how best to clean your feeders here.
Excellent article. House Finch with conjunctiva swollen closed in Bel air MD. The bird could not see me. So sad. Wish I had picked him up from eating at my feeder and taken him to the vet. I didn’t want to frighten him. He flew away. Yes, I clean my feeder often..
I just saw one for the first time, in Fort Washington, MD. More thing keeps going in circles
I just had one come up to me. It’s in a flower bed and I gave it fresh water and meal worms and sunflower seeds. Not sure if he’s eaten. But he is drinking the water. His eyes are seeping and swollen shut. Dauphin island alabama
Goldfinch at feeder acted listless. Feeding but not cleaning its bill. Left eye shut or nearly shut. Dark, round spot over bill almost looks like a 3rd eye — could be tick or other parasite? How can I send photos for diagnosis?
Hello Dorothy, thank you for reaching out. We cannot diagnose bird diseases, as we are not medical professionals, and only a licensed veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator may be able to tell. If you would like to share photos of your sick or injured bird, you can find a submission link on the very bottom of Your Data Homepage here, or you can feel free to check out our page on Sick Birds and Bird Diseases. This page can also instruct you on what to do if you find a sick bird at your feeders.
I’m in Concord, CA (east of San Francisco) and have a female Gold finch with some serious eye disease. One eye totally crusted over, the other partially affected. Mostly have Gold finches and house finches at my feeder. Haven’t seen any other affected birds. So sad to see this. I’ll be taking my feeder down for a couple weeks.
I have seen and photographed my second house finch with what appears to be Mycoplamal Conjunctivitis. I’m Castro Valley, California
Phoenix, Arizona: seems like almost the majority of the house finches in my yard are showing symptoms of this nasty disease. Feeder is being cleaned.
House finch with apparent conjunctivitis in Concord, NH
If we find a bird dead with suspected house finch eye disease near one of our feeders should we stop feeding (in order to avoid attracting others to a potential hazard? Or, is there a cleaning procedure that is recommended. We live in Salt Lake City, where winter is settling in. So, we do want to support our birds.
A couple of House finches with the eye disease spotted at our feeder here on Pender Island BC so we have taken it down.
Been seeing a few at my tube feeder in West Virginia. Will take down all feeders and clean. Although tube feeders seem to be the most susceptible.
I have been seeing a female house finch with crusty, watery eyes and missing some feathers on the back of the neck at my window feeder for a couple weeks now in Oklahoma City.