House Finch Eye Disease: Increased virulence as disease progresses
Usually, individual birds infected with a disease develop an “immune memory” that is used to help protect them from reinfection. It’s similar to when your body creates antibodies after you get sick or receive a vaccine. The antibodies help prevent reinfection by that same pathogen strain. However, since birds can’t walk into vaccine clinics, their immune memories are not always perfect, and we’re learning about this phenomenon from House Finch eye disease.
Recent findings indicate that the pathogen that causes House Finch eye disease, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, is becoming stronger and more dangerous than earlier versions of the pathogen, according to a study published March 2nd in the journal Science by researchers at Cornell, Virginia Tech, Princeton, San Diego, and North Carolina State universities. The researchers found that lapses in immune memory allow stronger strains of M. gallisepticum to survive and make the next host they infect even sicker.
This study specifically looked at whether these incomplete immunities favor the evolution of pathogen strains that are more virulent and lead to a greater host mortality. The authors found that over time, when M. gallisepticum replicated in the first host, more virulent strains of the pathogen survived to be passed on to the next host, causing a worse case of the disease. The researchers determined that these stronger strains were almost twice as deadly.
So, what can FeederWatch participants do? Continue to wash your feeders regularly with a diluted bleach solution or boiling water, keep an eye out for infected individuals, and continue reporting your sightings in your FeederWatch counts. If you see a sick bird at your feeders, we recommend that you take down the feeders that the sick bird is using for a week or more to let the birds disperse and to assure that no disease is being spread at your feeders. If sick birds return once you put your feeders back up, avoid using feeders with large ports that birds put their heads into and wash your feeders at least weekly. Visit our website to learn more about House Finch eye disease and safe bird feeding.
Reference: Fleming-Davies, A.E., Williams, P.D., Dhondt, A.A., Dobson, A.P., Hochachka, W.M., Leon, A.E., Ley, D.H., Osnas, E.E., Hawley, D.M. 2018. Incomplete host immunity favors the evolution of virulence in an emergent pathogen. Science 359:6379, 1030–1033.
68 comments on “House Finch Eye Disease: Increased virulence as disease progresses”
It seems I see more sick birds in the summer than in the winter. I have used the bleach solution and bleach towelettes to clean then spray off with water. I find that occasionally taking up feeders for a few days or feeding on the ground in a wide area helps disperse sick birds. Also keep the water clean of bird feces by hosing out everyday and at least once a week clean out with white vinegar.
I am.surprised but relieved we haven’t yet seen the disease in the few finches at our two seed and one suet feeder. We do, however, seem to have fewer house finches and goldfinches than the past two years. We have 2nd storey back yard deck feeders in a huge open back yard that’s our 2-building townhouse (8) common area, with a back property line of mixed old pine and deciduous native trees and native shrubs about 60 feet from the deck.
Also, have seen a sharp-shinned hawk a couple of times, and a bluejay recently on the deck.
I’ve spotted my first victim in SW Rhode Island. I clean my feeders every week, but will remove them for a bit and hopefully the disease won’t spread.
It seems to me that sight is necessary to fly and to avoid predators.
Heavily infected birds would be likely de-selected for existence. What
is the empirical evidence for the result of the effect of the disease ???
I saw two goldfinches with eye disease. One I took one who could not fly very well to the wildlife centre and they treated him for a week before he expired. The second was still flying high. Not sure what happened to this one. There were between 9-13 goldfinches coming daily. I took my feeders down to allow the birds to disburse. I have been washing them every day on the outside and inside the larger feed dispensers. I have not spotted any house Finches with eye disease.
I have been taking part in Project Feeder Watch for many years. This is the first year I have noticed one Goldfinch that probably has the eye disease. It’s a youngster. I see him/her just quietly resting on a branch or sitting on the ground resting and breathing hard. He’s sitting on a branch right now and preening. I have as many as 30 Goldfinches at one time at my feeders. I don’t think there are any others that have this condition. I don’t notice it in any of the House Finches. I have a picture of the Goldfinch that I was going to submit when I finish posting my Feeder Watch counts. I have three Thistle feeders, all with small ports. Will have to try and find time to wash the feeders. Lucky to find the time to fill them. I live in Warren NJ.
I saw my first Gold finch with the eye disease and thought it was an injury, that was a few months ago. I was even able to get close enough so he hopped on my finger to eat thistle. This was in Northwestern CT
There is a male American goldfinch that showed up at my feeder with an apparent eye disease. Only one eye is affected. I was wondering if other finch species may be affected by the bacterium impacting house finches.
We have found that distilled vinegar works well on all our types of frefers; especially on our hummer feeders. We’re West 26 miles of Houston. We had a couple of hummer that stayed on south side of house. Brigitte heard it calling cause the female ruby throat was cold. This was during our freak early December snow. She brought it in house warmed it in a lint free towel and set up a 1/2 cup feeder.
Bird stayed for weeks and would chirp for fresh food outside her window. Now mif6 April and all hummer feaders, suet, thisle along with millet sunflower mix is up. Our gold finches are dwindling showings but house finches are here in pairs and are well.
Cedar wax wings ate ash blooms and are pretty much gone.
Redwing black birds and boat tail crackels are eating us up 40 pounds of Audubon mix every 2 weeks. Cardinals come early in morning and late evening.
Last year had an Oriole for 3 days then gone before I could capture on film.
Crackles come on porch and eat cat food. They make my 3 cats mad cause they can’t catch one.
Good watching!
I have seen in recent months some Goldfinches with with looks like conjunctivitis in SE New Hampshire. I have some photos of them. I assume it is the same pathogen that affects the House finches. Among House finches, it seems to me there are more affected males than females, but that may be a misconception.
I’ve seen finch after finch succumb to the eye disease over the past year. No amount of cleaning the feeders stopped the spread of the disease.
I only ground feed now. And so far this spring I haven’t seen any finches at all.
Thank you for sharing this. I have worked very hard to keep everything clean but today saw a house finch with a bad eye.
I don’t think it’s possible to keep feeders clean enough. I am going to stop putting any food out for two weeks and then plan to only ground feed with food well spread out on the earth. I won’t put nyger seed out again though.
If I see the bird with conjunctivitis again I will try and get him to wild life rescue.
I think bird feeders are a bad idea personally.
Hi Diedra, Cleaning feeders regularly, even when there are no signs of the disease, is the best way to prevent the spread at your feeders. However, you’re right, there’s no easy way to eradicate it 100%, because birds still congregate in nature and can transmit the bacteria in places other than bird feeders. That all said, research does show that birds that visit feeders are doing better overall than the species that do not visit feeders, so that suggests that there is some benefit to providing supplemental food. You may also be interested to know that birds can recover from the disease – and those that do so without outside help can pass those good genes on to their offspring, which in turn inherit that ability to fight off the disease better. We recommend reaching out to a certified wildlife rehabilitator only if you’re particularly concerned about a bird, and to make sure you call them first, before attempting to catch the bird (as it is illegal unless you are under their direction). You can learn more about sick birds and how best to clean feeders here.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
I wonder if you could please tell me what kind of bird food you’re using to ground feed. I don’t want to feed finches anymore.
Thanks Deidra
For thirty years February has been marked by the return of house finches ready to start nesting in the ivy on the front of my house. This year nothing. Also no purple finches. Instead the gold finches, which I saw for the first time at feeders two years ago, have wintered over and gone from three to twenty.
At my Brooklyn, NY feeder, I’ve spotted two cases of eye disease and didn’t know what it was until I saw this article. I have many house finches at the feeder. The first bird I saw with eye disease was a house sparrow and the second was a house finch. Is there anything we can do to help the sick birds?
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for your concern! Please follow the links in the article, or copy and paste the following URLs. Visit our website for more information on a safe feeding environment (https://feederwatch.org/learn/feeding-birds/#safe-feeding-environment) and for more information on what to do when you see a sick bird (https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/). Let us know if you have any questions.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
We had a house Finch and Goldfinch with the disease. We also had a white-crowned sparrow with the eye disease.I had been feeding on the porch to keep the feed dry. I cleaned feeders and used new ones too. Next year we will feed on a tray and wash it every day. Wish we had thought of that sooner.
This is just my opinion but in central Missouri I have noticed a decrease in the number of finches I have observed with an eye infection. Several years ago it seemed epidemic. Only observed in red finches. I’ve never seen a gold finch with the affliction.
Where do I report the sighting of illness? I just saw two at my feeders. Sad
Hi Leanne,
When Project FeederWatch is in session (November-April) you can report diseased birds online when submitting your FeederWatch count. Otherwise, you can submit photos of diseased birds to our Sick Birds Gallery under the “Learn” tab at the top of the page.
-Holly Faulkner, Project Assistant
I’ve seen two sparrows with eye disease in the past two weeks. Is there anything an individual can do to assist the sick birds?
Hi Barbara,
Please read the last paragraph in the article above, which details what you can do to help prevent the spread of the disease. And remember, only licensed wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians can handle wild birds. For more information please visit our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage: https://feederwatch.org/learn/house-finch-eye-disease/.
In Ct. So many sick house finches… dying off on my deck.. They are all puffed up and struggling to survive..Is it west nile. Eyes on some are fine? What can I do? I took one in as he was almost gone. He died in my box then another same time died on deck…I have never in 60 years of living and feeding birds have ever seen this. Should I just leave them be.. Trying to help them most likely causes more stress.
Hi MJ,
Please read the last paragraph in the article above, which details what you can do to help prevent the spread of House Finch Eye Disease. And remember, only licensed wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians can legally handle wild birds. For more information please visit our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage: https://feederwatch.org/learn/house-finch-eye-disease/.
9/30/18 as I type. Am in central Mo. Saw several purple finches on my feeder starting
two months ago w/obvious eye issues. Now some gold finches. If must be effecting
their vision as I have seen several corpses beneath picture windows meaning they
must have flown into them. This is beyond disheartening to me. No cure for this?
Hi David,
There is no known cure, but there is plenty you can do in prevention of the disease. Be sure to clean your feeders regularly with a 10% bleach solution (weekly or bi-weekly), making sure to scrub all debris from the feeder. Also, if you see more sick birds, it’s best to take your feeders down for about a week to let them disperse. For more information, visit our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage.
I live in phx,az and this is the first year I have noticed the house finch. I live in an apt complex. I have hummingbird feeders. That’s all we are allowed. It started with a male and female trying to drink from the feeders. They were extremely hot. I put water out for them. Now there is about 20 of them. I don’t feed them just give them water. I haven’t noticed any looking sick. They hang out in a tree close to my apartment. I’ve been here 5 years and have never seen them before.
I was just out in the yard and saw a sick finch, didn’t move much until I got right up to it, eyes were pink and crusty
Hi everyone. I live in a suburban in Minnesota. I do wash my cheep cheep feeder either weekly or every other week with a diluted bleach solution… I don’t think I’ve seen any sick birds.. . However, I saw a house sparrow a few weeks ago who didn’t seem well and didn’t know whether it hit a window (we do have uv bird decals on part of the window but unfortunately not on all the window panes) or if it could have been sick. It was moving slowly and was slow to react to my presence. It look a little plump ( but this was in October so I don’t know if the cheep cheeps might ‘ve been pregnant). It seemed to be breathing a bit heavier and had it’s eyes squinted at first but then seemed to open more. I tried to do reiki on the bird by standing a few week away as it eventually was able to hop into a bush for shelter with the other house sparrows, so it could hop at least… I guess, in a nut shell, I was curious if anyone knew how to tell if a bird might be injured or sick, so I know in the future incase I see another bird who doesn’t look well : ( breaks my heart.
Hi Mona,
Thanks for commenting! You’ll likely be interested in our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases webpage – you’ll be able to learn about the most common diseases affecting feeder birds and signs to look for. Your bird is likely sick. Birds lay eggs only during breeding season, which is usually February through September, depending on the species and their latitude. Their bodies produce one egg over a period of only about 18 hours. Each egg is deposited in the nest and the body starts again until the entire clutch is laid (one egg per day). While House Sparrows can breed for longer period of time than many species, they would most likely not be laying eggs during October in Minnesota. Thank you for being proactive about cleaning your feeder – this will help prevent the spread of whatever disease this House Sparrow might have!
It seems as though we humans are creating an environment for such diseases to proliferate with bird feeders. My question is, by bleach cleaning are we creating more resistant bacteria and viruses that the immune systems of these birds can’t keep up with? Are we really helping the birds, or simply feeding our own pleasure of seeing these birds in our yards? I’m hoping that I can get a serious and thoughtful answer to this. I live in Maine and I don’t know many people that will take the trouble to take down, bleach, scrub and rinse their feeders all winter long.
suddenly started seeing sick house finches this past weekend (in los angeles), 3 or 4 of them with just one infected eye, then yesterday there was a completely blinded boy (his eyes were still visible but swollen and wet, he didn’t fly away when i approached and when he did fly it was very erratically). it was absolutely heartbreaking to watch him blindly reaching for seeds, and now that i’ve taken down the feeders and bird bath i feel like a murderer, there’s no way he’ll last in that condition. i know this is necessary, letting poor babies like him “disperse,” but it’s beyond sad. i don’t know that i ever would have gotten into seed feeding had i learned about this disease sooner. so i’ll wait a couple of weeks before trying again (i do really enjoy feeding all these guys and am not quite ready to give it up entirely), and will use diluted bleach to clean the feeders instead of soap and hot water, but i am already scared this is going to be a persistent issue and i’ll eventually have to stop feeding everyone. fortunately this time around i at least haven’t seen any sick goldfinches (knock wood), even though their nyjer feeders were pretty close to the other feeders and a few house finches had insisted on cramming themselves onto the tiny feeders’ trays to eat. i wish there was something we could do to help beyond letting nature take its course.
Good morning,
We have been observing American goldfinches with eye disease at our feeders here in Salisbury, NC. This is the first year that we have seen this problem.
hi, just following up — taking the feeders down for 2 weeks didn’t help, sick finches whose disease hadn’t spread to both eyes didn’t disperse and showed up shortly after i put out new feeders (i wanted to start with unused feeders before reintroducing the sanitized original feeders). is there anything that can be done? it seems like if they’ve survived this long that they’re going to stick around… is it possible they could just remain sick/one-eyed carriers for the duration, without the disease ever affecting the other eye even as they continue making the healthy birds around them sick? what do you recommend if sick finches don’t disperse? i don’t want to encourage the spread of the disease, and i don’t want my yard to become a haven for sick finches, but i also really don’t want to stop feeding everyone forever… thanks
I started getting sick purple
Finches two summers ago. Many appeared fluffed up and would just sit at the feeder without eating. I only observed one with a closed eye. Then i noticed a few gold finches with it too. The others I would find dead shortly after noticing them sitting still fluffed up. It’s beyond heartbreaking. Last year I took my finch feeders down and thought they had dispersed because last summer I only saw about two in that condition. However I just put my finch feeders out this spring and over this last weekend I had a purple finch pair that were sick and fluffed up, but with no eye disease noted. I’m in central Nj and have been looking desperately for other people other than myself reporting this, with no luck. What is going on? Is there anything I can do besides cleaning and taking down feeders? It’s heartbreakjng.
Hi Robin, Hose Finch eye disease is a common affliction of House Finches and some others in the finch family. You can learn more about the disease here. The best way to combat the disease is indeed cleaning your feeders regularly (weekly to biweekly) or taking them down for about a week or two when you start to see more sick birds. You can learn more about the most common bird diseases seen at feeders on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases page.
First house finch with eye disease male at feeder this am. Has been awhile since I have had one in yard.
This is Prescott Az at 5700 ft altitude.
I’m near Saddlebrook, AZ and just tore down every feeder in my yard due to the house finch that had a severe case of the disease. What do I do if they keep coming back to the feeders after I put them back out in a couple of weeks?
Hi Penny, 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, and should be done weekly to bi-weekly.
I’ve been feeding birds for years, but only saw eye disease for the first time about a month ago. I took all my feeders down for 2 weeks, soaked them in a hot water and vinegar solution, and scrubbed them. I’ve had my feeders back up for 2 weeks, and just noticed another house finch with eye disease today. It’s disappointing to see again so soon after I put my feeders back up 🙁
Hi Bethany, the best way to help prevent the spread of disease at your feeders is to clean them regularly – every 1-2 weeks. These birds can transmit disease whenever they are close to other birds – at other feeders, in nature, etc. So, while they can still get sick elsewhere, a regular cleaning schedule can help ensure that it’s less likely they’re contracting disease(s) at your feeders specifically.
I am in eastern NC and saw a gold finch with the disease about a month ago. I took down my feeders, washed them and put them back up. I have been observing the birds to see if I see anymore and today there was a female gold finch sitting on my lawn and flying over my pool. She scared me but she landed and then I realized that she is blind and it looks like she also has the same eye condition. I’m going to take down my feeders again and clean them but I have no idea about anyone else in our neighborhood so I’m going to email everyone.
Hi Carole, You can learn more about House finch Eye Disease here. 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. You can learn more about how best to clean your feeders here.
Ok
I have read for hours now about this and I think it sounds like a loosing battle for so many of us. I sterilized the perches and ports everyday and still saw a house finch with conjunctivitis today for the first time.
I don’t think bird feeders are a good idea for the birds well being. I’m not sure that even putting seed on the ground will be safe no matter how far and wide I spread it out. Can someone tell me if that seems to be safe?
Thank you!
Hi Diedra, Cleaning feeders regularly, even when there are no signs of the disease, is the best way to prevent the spread at your feeders. However, you’re right, there’s no easy way to eradicate it 100%, because birds still congregate in nature and can transmit the bacteria in places other than bird feeders. That all said, research does show that birds that visit feeders are doing better overall than the species that do not visit feeders, so that suggests that there is some benefit to providing supplemental food. You may also be interested to know that birds can recover from the disease – and those that do so without outside help can pass those good genes on to their offspring, which in turn inherit that ability to fight off the disease better. You can learn more about sick birds and how best to clean feeders here.
I had a female house finch last year that had the disease. I noticed it was only in the right eye. Her flying was terrible. Could get close enough to catch her.
Now, I have a male house finch with it in both eyes. I clean the 1 feeder I have twice a week. I managed to catch him, and searched for 2 hours for a rehabber. None within a 3 to 4 hour drive from me. Idk what to do. This really blows. I can’t stop crying.
Athens Alabama.
Hi Bertie, Even if you can’t drive that far, we still encourage you to call one of the rehabbers. They will have the best advice on how to proceed and may even be able to meet you, or send someone to pick up the bird. Please do not keep live birds unless the rehabber directs you to do so – it is against federal law and may do more harm than good. you can learn more about House Finch Eye Disease here. Note that it is not always deadly, and that those birds who overcome it can survive to pass those good genes on to their offspring.
I noticed the conjunctivitis for the first time today in 3 or 4 house finches out of the thirty or so who frequent my one-acre yard. I clean all my feeders with a 10% bleach solution every week. I live in Southwestern Ohio.
Purple finch landed in the grass next to my dogs head. Then tried to fly and landed on my shoe. I thought it was a baby and just stupid. My son looked and said “he has no eyes! They’re all bloody and crusty!” He then flew a short distance and landed on the ground in the tall brush.
Hi Laura, Anytime you see a sick bird in your yard, 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.
Seen in southern Wisconsin
Just noticed a sick house finch at my feeders. It keeps its eyes closed a lot, seems puffed up or larger than the others, and is less fearful of my approach. What do you think this might be? I just cleaned my feeders but do you think I need to take them down entirely?
Hi Susan, Anytime you see a sick bird, especially exhibiting symptoms like this, 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.
Not sure where some of these posts are from, but…
As you prob know, the west coast (very sadly) had a major salmonella outbreak in 2021. Mostly finches of various spp.
We’ve seen *some* finches w/what appeared to be salmonella this year, too. Not as terrible as last year.
May have just seen my first finch w/eye disease in years (Seattle). Hope it’s not going to be alternating waves of illness.
In any case, suppose the advice of cleaning feeders often and taking down to disperse the masses holds true. Just seems like it would be good for people to be aware that there are multiple diseases to watch for. And wear gloves!
We have a purple finch and a goldfinch with the disease. I will keep monitoring. So sad. Can we help in any ways? With vitamins or other meds?
Only veterinarians or federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators can legally treat wild birds. If you see a bird that appears to be compromised in some way, perhaps due to sickness or injury, do not try to care for the bird yourself. If you find a bird that you believe needs intervention to survive, contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area.For more information on diseases affecting wild birds, contact the National Wildlife Health Center in the U.S. or the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre in Canada. In the meantime, we recommend removing your feeders for a couple of weeks to give a chance for sick birds to disperse, and regularly cleaning your feeders.
Try to contact a local bird rescue or wildlife rescue. Google it or if it’s open call the humane society or a vet to see if they know any. They can give the bird antibiotics and it’s possible it can clear up and they will release it.
I wish I’d known about this disease yesterday.
:’( When I went back to get the bird it was gone, I couldn’t find it.
OK. Catch 22. If we feed the birds with a typical feeder the house finches will pass around the eye infection. If multiple cleanings is the only option so far, might there be a feeder design that minimizes transmission? Last summer I installed a large cage around my tube feeder to prevent starlings from taking over the feeder here in Durham NC. It works fine with my tube feeder inside. I started to see house finch eye problems before 1 month of travel in December. I spent today scrubbing and bleach soaking the feeders. I will put them out after the stormy weather clears next week. Any suggestions? We have lots of folks feeding where I live.
Somewhere I read that very small ports that they can’t get their heads into may help. So they are not spreading things as much. I’m going to look for some.
All of mine have large ports or are tray feeders so I’m going to replace them. I’m not sure how to feed the cardinals though. Maybe pure sunflower seeds because I don’t think finch will eat those.
Is there any meds that can be giving to the finches to help with the decease? Please advise. Thank you
Hello Edith, If you see a bird that appears to be compromised in some way, perhaps due to sickness or injury, do not try to care for the bird yourself. It is illegal for you to possess most wild birds unless you are under the direction of someone licensed for their care. Only veterinarians or federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators can legally treat wild birds. Whenever a sick bird comes to your feeder, we recommend that you remove the feeders the sick bird is using for a couple of weeks to ensure that disease is not being spread at your feeders and to give birds a chance to disperse. While the feeders are down clean your feeders and feeder area thoroughly. Remember that prevention is the key to avoiding the spread of disease. Regularly clean your feeders even when there are no signs of disease. For more info, please feel free to check out our page on Sick Birds and Bird Diseases here.
I visited this BLOG for the first time and was puzzled by the lack of location of the posters (i.e., which state/area) and which goldfinches they were discussing. I live at almost 600 feet elevation, in an inland valley from Santa Cruz, CA, at the edge of a redwood/mixed conifer/live oak forest. Only a few house finches visit my feeders, but I have many lesser goldfinches during the winter. So far, no disease, as I have indicated in my Feederwatch posts.
I live in Northern California in Santa Rosa. I’ve seen several gold finches over the last few months with the eye disease. I’ve taken down feeders for weeks at a time but when I put them back up, pretty quickly I see a bird with the eye disease again. Wondering what the incident rate is in this part of the country and what I can do.
Ho who I report birds that are sick. I have a very sick bird in my backyard. Can barely fly, It’s heart breaking.
Can anything be done?
Hello Renee. If you see a sick bird, you can call your local wildlife rehabilitator or someone with a license to handle wildlife. To learn more about sick birds and bird diseases, feel free to check out our page here: https://feederwatch.org/learn/sick-birds-and-bird-diseases/
I live in North Florida and there is a female house finch on my window right now. She can see a bit and when she isn’t scratching sleeping or eating, she seems to do plenty of wide mouth yawning. I’ll take down my other feeders, but I’m leaving this one up. She not gonna starve, so maybe she will survive.