New research links House Finch behavior at feeders to the acquisition and spread of eye disease
What is the story?
New research about feeder birds and House Finch eye disease (mycoplasmal conjunctivitis) reveals an interesting link between behavior and disease transmission. Previous evidence suggested that the bacterium was spread by birds that had the most social connections. A research team from Virginia Tech outfitted wild flocks of House Finches with transmitter chips that recorded their feeder behavior and discovered that the birds that visited feeders with the greatest frequency were the most likely to contract and spread the eye disease. 
photo © Colin Donner
Does this mean we should stop feeding birds?
No. House finch eye disease has been present since the early 1990s and biologists think it has reached somewhat of an equilibrium in the eastern House Finch population; only 5-10% of individuals are thought to be infected, and House Finch populations seem to be doing well overall. So, you don’t have to stop feeding birds, but there are some precautions you can take if you are concerned about the disease at your feeders (read on!).
What should you do?
This research indicates that feeders facilitate the spread of the disease when infected individuals spend a lot of time on feeders. So, there are several things you can do:
- Keep on the lookout for sick birds, and participate in Project FeederWatch so you can contribute to the growing dataset about the spread of this disease.
- If you see a sick finch, disinfect your feeders. If you wish, you may remove feeders for a few days to encourage sick birds to disperse.
- Clean your feeders on a regular basis, even if you do not notice sick birds.
Find more information about the disease and detailed recommendations for cleaning feeders on our website.
Read more about the Virginia Tech research study.
39 comments on “New research links House Finch behavior at feeders to the acquisition and spread of eye disease”
We had so many House Finches with severe conjunctivitis this summer (Clay Co, NC) that we researched and found this article. We started changing the food and wiping down the ports with bleach wipes every two days, and washing the feeders once a week. Since then we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the incidence and severity of infection.
I’ve treated 3 different house finches this summer for pink eye. I bought a tube of cream over the counter at the farm store. They recovered after 4-7 days of treatment after which they were released.
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/.
There isn’t any within 100 miles of me. I called the Ohio DNR and they gave me the advice to do what I did.
I was mowing today and noticed a bird in the yard who didn’t fly away. So I got off mower and laid my hand down infront of the bird. Well the little fellow jumped on like no big deal. I noticed his eyes were closed! I talked to him for a minute then he opened his eyes and flew off up into my cherry tree. I took a couple pictures and googled. What is this well how in the world do I upload a picture to this post?? Do I need to report this to TWRA? EAST TENNESSEE
Took some pics at my feeder yesterday and noticed one finch with what appeared to be only one eye. Not sure if it is pox or conjunctivitis. Found this article yesterday also and I will start a sanitation program for my feeders. Location: western Puget Sound, Washington state.
We’ve been feeding since spring 2015. We see lots of House Finches, but no eye problems. We’ll keep looking and cleaning the feeders. I recommend using peroxide-containing cleaners, e.g., “Oxyclean.” Immerse the feeder for about 10 minutes, then rinse in lots of hot water, hose off with tap water, and dry thoroughly before replacing the feed.
This is also a pretty good method for hummingbird feeders (we have Annas all year).
Hypochlorites like “Chlorox” leave a chlorine-generating residue that may discourage the birds and corrode metal feeders.
Over the summer I noticed a couple of House Finches with eye disease and or avian pox (on the face). I started a program of disinfection twice a week with bleach/water. I sprayed the empty feeders with bleach/water wait for a few minutes to 10 minutes and then rinse well in water. I also scrubbed out my birdbath with the same and rinsed thoroughly. It took a few weeks but then suddenly I didn’t see any sick birds! Yeah!
Hello,
I have always heard that bleach can create tiny surface irregularities in different types of plastics, which can create more locations for bacteria, molds, and virus to grow. Which type of plastic is safe from bleach without this occuring? The range of bird feeders seem to be made from Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene PE, High Density and Low Density Polypropylene (HDPP, and LDPP respectively) instead of plastics containing BPA and other endocrine disruptors that can harm wildlife and humans.
Vinegar and water is what I’ve been using for disinfecting, but is this inadequate for these more aggressive types bacteria? If so, what would a adequate ratio of vinegar and water, also what percentage of vinegar acidity? What about other disinfectants such as alcohol, or any other substance that will not leave residual toxins for the birds?
We have a high Salmonella death rate for Goldfinches according to my bird vet who performs necropsies for the Portland Audubon Society, so I stopped using any platform or fly-through feeders, and switched to tube thistle feeders, and of course in summer, have many perennials and native vegetation with flowers, seeds, and berries to feed the birds. (Although European Hawthorn has become invasive in our watershed and has encouraged the invasive grey squirrels growth explosion.) It is a challenge to try to protect and assist with so many variables involved.
Thanks for this forum.
I live near Schenectady, New York and frequently see finches with conjunctivitis at my feeders. I clean them as advised, but others in the neighborhood also feed the birds. I try to use small port or mesh feeders that only allow their beaks to touch the seed and not their whole head (eye area). Raking up shells and uneaten seed helps too.
I just noticed 2 Male House Finches with what could be Avian Pox. They appear to be fluffed, shake their whole bodies every time they eat and have a bit of trouble swallowing. They have not been feeding at the feeders at all – platform and ground only. The only birds at our feeders right now are Goldfinches and Chickadees. Most of the Male House Finches appear healthy and ALL Female House Finches are very healthy. I have a wide variety of birds feeding and all are fat and happy! I do participate in Project Feeder Watch this year but I have only begun to see the 2 sick birds this week and haven’t reported them yet. One thing I noticed this year, due to our extended warm weather on the East Coast, is that many of the birds I don’t normally see until March or April, are here NOW! They are more than likely roosting in close proximity to each other due to the advent of very cold weather. I clean out the 2 birdbaths daily so I do not believe that is an issue. Sometimes it’s just nature and no matter how clean everything is, some will not make it. I feel bad for them. Last Spring I had about 4 Male House Finches with Conjunctivitis. At some point, I did not see them again but all other birds were healthy all Spring and Summer. I removed all porthole tube feeders and replaced with hopper type/gravity feeders.
I just took a little goldfinch to our local wildlife rescue thinking it had been blinded by an injury and they told me it was conjunctivitis and are keeping/treating it. I have disinfected all my feeders and they suggested I do so twice a week for a few weeks. I usually clean everything about twice a month and will be extra-diligent now that I know more about this. I’m in Fairfield County, CT.
What do you use to disinfect your feeders? I have seen a few infected house finches.
I use Puregreen24
This question relates to house finches, but not eye disease. Sorry if this is out of place… but we had a house finch build a nest in the wreath on our front door. It laid 4 eggs; all 4 hatches, and then we found 2 of them had fallen out of the nest and died. Several days later I noticed that the mother had not been at the nest at all, so I looked into the nest with a mirror, and there was one baby in the nest, but he was dead. He was laying in a way that made it look like his neck had been broken. What could have caused all of this trauma to the nest and the babies? I’m so sad about this and want to know if there’s anything I can do to keep it from happening again.
I live in northern California, and have noticed two house finches with closed crusty eyes. I found this sight/blog and I will start cleaning my feeders!
I live south of Tampa, Fl. Found this site after I noticed house finches with these eye problems at bird feeders.
Thanks for tips. I just took down all feeders and disinfected along with bird bath.
Will continue to do so frequently.
Would share what bird bath is?
I have seen no house finches at all in 2017, when normally my feeder is full of them. This is in Fairfax County, VA.
I have several feeders on a post and also one window feeder. Today I noticed a Goldfinch with crusty eyes. Not even sure if he can see. He had his back to the window and would not fly away even when I tapped on the glass. Most finches fly as soon as they see any movement. I think he is hungry because he really picks at the seed when he is there, although a couple of other skinny finches all chow down when they are there.
My location is Fulton, NY
June 2018 I live in Island Park, Idaho and this is the first time I have had Evening Grosbeaks with conjunctivitis – 3 females and 2 males. One female I caught and cleaned her eyes for 5 days before I let her go. She came to my feeder for 2 weeks after I let her go. But then I never saw her again. I would check her with binoculars when she came to the feeder and she closed her eyes a lot and when they were open they would not open all the way. This site helped me. I will be cleaning my feeders.
I want to help but I’m a beginner clueless cheep cheep watcher who can’t identify species accurately…yet, but I do take photos. Can I share photos until I learn to identify the disease and species accurately to help out? I don’t think any of the cheep cheeps are affected but I’m not too certain since I have loads to learn
Hi Adria,
You can share photos as you wish in our photo galleries, but it is most helpful to us for you to submit your FeederWatch counts – this is where we source the bulk of our sick bird data. Please feel free to share photos and ask for help with identification from others, though you are also welcome to send us any tricky IDs or general questions at feederwatch@cornell.edu. For more information on sick birds, visit https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/ . For help with identification, we recommend checking out our Common Feeder Birds tool (https://feederwatch.org/learn/common-feeder-birds/) or using the Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID app on your smart device (merlin.allaboutbirds.org).
Found your website after i had been noticing 2-3 purple finches daily for a week or so sitting on the ground within inches of where i was standing. I managed to catch one of them. I was afraid it was blind due to accident/ injury but upon further inspection, noticed their eyes were swollen shut. I kept it overnight to keep it from predation and kept noticing more of them over the next several days. Took my feeders down, disinfected them, waited a few days. Also noticed an American Goldfinch at feeder with same problem. All total observed about 10 -12. My location is Long Creek, SC.
hi, after seeing several sick house finches last month i removed my feeders and bird bath for a couple of weeks to allow them to “disperse” (as sad as that made me). just this past weekend, after the 2 weeks was up, i put the bird bath back out as well as two brand new unused feeders (figured i would start there and then eventually reintroduce the original but disinfected feeders). it took 4 days before i finally saw three house finches at one of the new feeders, but my excitement quickly turned to dismay when i realized two of the three finches were sick, each with one swollen, crusted-over eye — the poor things have continued to survive since the disease didn’t/hasn’t spread to both eyes. so what do i do now that the sick finches (or at least some of them) aren’t sick enough to disperse? shouldn’t 2 weeks have been enough of a break? i really don’t want to stop feeding the birds entirely, but i also don’t want to encourage the spread of the disease. please advise, i’m really at a loss as to what to do here. thanks.
I live in eastern Washington, I noticed last year 1 house finch with conjunctivitis, however at the time didn’t know what it was. This season I have another, or maybe the same one, so have done extensive research on the condition and what I can do so will start a cleaning regimen and hopefully it will take care of the problem. Thanks for your site and information I found it very helpful.
Michelle, I know your comment is over a year old, but I’d be very curious to know how your situation ended up. I have a flock of finches, several of which seem to be afflicted with Avian Pox or something similar. I already made sure to keep my feeders clean, and no other types of birds have shown any sign of illness yet, so I don’t believe they were getting it from my feeders or bird bath. But I still took the feeders down and disinfected them, waited a few days and then put them back up. The finches that returned were even more afflicted than before, and I don’t know how long I’ll have to keep the feeders down, or if I should just leave them up, keep them clean and let nature take its course. Any updates?
Hi Erika, Whenever you see a sick bird, we recommend taking down feeders and cleaning them, then continue to clean them regularly, every one to two weeks. If you start to see more sick birds, it may be best to keep them down for a week or so to help the sick birds disperse. You may need to do this several times; note that not everyone in your neighborhood may clean their feeders, and if the birds are congregating elsewhere (even in natural spaces) they still have a chance to spread disease.
I’m in Catawba County, NC. We live in farm country. I noticed a female house finch with swollen red eyes at our feeder. I followed the advice. Took down and thoroughly cleaned the feeders, any fallen seed, and stopped feeding for 5 days. We also had an enormous amount of rain during the wait. Our sick finch had a particular perch she came to on the feeder. She fed alone at a different time than the others. After we put the feeders back, she returned and was healthy! Sickness washed away from constant rain?
Hi Debbie, Great news! Some birds can recover from eye disease. Either your bird recovered, or the bird is a different individual (we are in the middle of migration after all). Keep up a regular cleaning regimen (once every 1-2 weeks) to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders – even if you see no sick birds.
I have seen a growing number of house finches infected with avian conjunctivitis over the past couple of months at my feeders. I never realized the disease could be so active in the winter months. I’ve cleaned my feeders more lately than I ever have before in hopes of controlling the spread. Any reports of other songbirds contracting this dreadful disease? That’s always one of my biggest concerns as I see the titmice and chickadees often feeding alongside the finches,
Location: Lehigh County, PA
Thanks so much for all the insight and guidance,
Hi Cookie, So far, only members of the finch family have been known to contract House Finch Eye Disease, but all birds are still susceptible to other diseases that can be passed at feeders, such as Salmonella and Avian Pox. We recommend keeping up a regular cleaning regime, even when you see no sick birds, to help prevent the spread at your feeders. If you start to see a lot of sick birds, it may be best to take your feeders down for a week or two to help the sick birds disperse.
I had a Carolina Wren make a nest in my patio spider plant last Spring (2020). All 5 eggs hatched and babies safely fledged. This inspired me to buy bird feeders (2 for Safflower and 2 for Nyjer/sunflower chip mix) not realizing Carolina Wrens eat insects. Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinches, Titmouse, Chickadees, Cardinals and House Finches came. Two weeks ago I noticed one House Finch that appeared to be blind. Kept seeing him come back and felt sad for him. Googled and now understand it’s House Finch conjunctivitis eye disease. Took down all 4 feeders, washed all with soap and water, sprayed with Lysol and wiped down again (had been cleaning them after rain or ever 6-8 weeks, whichever came first). Anticipate putting them back up in a week or so. Sad to understand “disperse” means “go away and die” – sad, but better one than a whole community of birds. I’m so glad to have found this site and others that enlightened me.
Hi TL, dispersement doesn’t necessarily mean death- some birds do recover from House Finch Eye Disease, and they can go on to pass those good genes on to their future offspring which contributes to a stronger population overall. Regardless, cleaning once very 1-2 weeks is a good schedule to help prevent the spread of disease at the feeders.
P.S. from TL Lee – I’m in Austin, TX, so House Finch eye disease is here as well.
Today I noticed a house finch sitting on one of my feeder poles. I noticed around his eyes were red. He sat very still as I walked by, then started rubbing one eye against the deck railing. Later I noticed him sitting on a Sedum eating bugs I assume. I have not noticed others like this , but after reading I think it must be conjunctivitis. Will take my feeders down and clean. I am in Lexington, KY.
We have had in Northern California this past year, severe drought, extreme heat, continuous rain in December and massive flooding in the area. All the fields birds foraged in the area are under construction and houses built. This winter I have had more birds at my feeders than I ever had. I have had 9 types of birds and well over 35 birds. I’m observing off and on each day. In spite of constant cleaning and disinfecting feeders, bird baths, ground area and spreading feeders out and making more feeding areas, I had one House Finches come through with crusty eye. Keeping him off feeders and eating on the ground was not too hard but today I saw 2 gold finches with closed eye and tubing it on stuff. So now the feeders have come down as it is not safe to feed that many birds with this eye infection. I have disinfected the concrete patio and put a line of bird seed down the middle of the patio for birds to eat without feeders. I don’t know any other solution to feed these frantically hungry birds without making more birds exposed to disease. I definitely can’t use the feeders and pie pans of food as the birds are too close to each other and feeder parts other birds have rubbed their face on. Going to try the socks for black seed but feel that might still spread it.
Hello Pam, thank you for reaching out, and thank you for taking the time to take down feeders and clean them. We recommend keeping them down for a few weeks, so as to allow the sick birds a chance to disperse. You can learn more tips on our page on Sick Birds and Bird Diseases here.
Hello. I live in rural southeastern Ga. The House Finches coming to my feeders are infected with the eye disease in alarming numbers. It’s sad to see. Ive been using a variety of types of feeders and keep them clean regularly. I can see where the tube feeders would be the highest risk for transmitting the disease. I’m considering taking these down altogether. I want to do whatever I can to help.