As those who know my philosophy of birding will already be aware of, I place great emphasis on looking closely at and paying particular attention to the bird life that surrounds us, even the most common species. In a recent article, I mentioned this as having particular relevance during the Corvid-19 lockdown, when most of us are confined to birding in our gardens. It can not only help us to appreciate the beauty of our more common birds, but also helps us to easily spot something that maybe a little out of the ordinary. Well, today I´d like to bring to your attention another reason, ironically and perhaps cruelly linked to our own current situation.
Suttonella Ornithocola
I would urge you to look even closer than usual at the tit family. As recently reported by various media, including BirdGuides.com, in some European countries, this family of birds appear to be suffering from a bacterium called Suttonella Ornithocola. (It has not yet been found in any other family of garden birds). This bacterium causes lung disease, typically with pneumonia like symptoms. Before I continue, I should be absolutely clear in stating that this is in no way linked to Covid-19. Covid-19 is an illness caused by a virus whilst Suttonella Ornithocola is a bacterium. Furthermore, it has never been reported in humans, nor indeed in any other mammal.
Blue Tit. One of our favourite garden birds
This issue has only been known of since 1996, and in more recent times, cases of affected birds were recorded in Finland. Later, in 2018, it was recorded in Germany, particularly in Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits. Currently, scientists in the same country are investigating an epidemic that has so far affected around 26,000 birds – again all in the tit family. So far, there have only been very few recorded cases in the UK, but it´s something that all birders should be looking out for.
What to look for
Affected birds tend to appear to be lethargic, often gasping with their eyes closed and the bill open. Although these symptoms are not exclusively linked to Suttonella Ornithocola, they are typical and should raise a cause for concern. If you see a member of the tit family displaying such symptoms, you should report it to the relevant UK authority via the website gardenwildlifehealth.org On the same website, you can also find additional information.
Coal Tit
Best practice
It´s likely that if you find one bird displaying these symptoms, then within a short period of time, you´ll find more. This is obviously because of the contagious nature of the illness, with cross infection often occurring at garden feeders where there is a higher density of birds. Best practice can help to protect our garden birds from this and other illnesses. Such measures include keeping the feeders clean, disinfecting them regularly and allowing them to air-dry before refilling them. Water should be changed every day and the container thoroughly cleaned. When cleaning and handling bird feeders, rubber gloves should always be worn, and cleaned afterwards. In the event of finding birds that are apparently affected, it is recommended that you stop feeding the birds for 2-4 weeks, forcing them to disperse to find food, thereby reducing the density of individual birds in a single place. A form of social distancing that we´ve all become familiar with. This measure would have a much lesser negative effect on garden birds at this time of year when naturally occurring food would be more widely available than say during the much harsher winter months.
Great Tit
By paying closer attention to the birds that visit our gardens, we can not only enjoy their beauty and behavior to the full. Maybe we could help to protect them too.
Written by Dave Warrington.
Bird Watching Guide at Valencia Birding.