Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: American Goldfinch

Only you can prevent “Finch Eye Disease.”

This American Goldfinch patient came to the Center suffering from Mycoplasmosis, or “Finch Eye Disease.”

Over the past two weeks, we’ve admitted a surprising number of sick finches, and reports of infected birds are coming in from other wildlife centers in our state. This disease is highly contagious and often starts at bird feeders. Infected birds develop swollen, crusty eyes that can eventually lead to temporary blindness, making it nearly impossible for them to find food or escape predators. Once a bird is sick, survival in the wild becomes a challenge.

It’s easy to assume that feeding birds is a harmless and even helpful act, but disease outbreaks like this show how a simple backyard bird feeder can become a breeding ground for illness.

Feeders bring together dozens of birds that wouldn’t normally interact so closely, increasing the risk of disease transmission. If just one sick bird visits, it can leave behind bacteria that spread to every other bird that feeds there.

The problem doesn’t stop at direct contact. Mycoplasmosis bacteria linger on perches, seed ports, and the ground below, infecting new birds long after the original sick bird has gone.

Caring about wildlife means making informed decisions. If you want to continue feeding birds, commit to cleaning your feeders regularly. But if that feels like a chore—or if you want a solution that’s truly beneficial for birds—consider swapping feeders for native plants. It’s a change that requires little maintenance, yet provides lasting benefits for birds, insects, and the entire environment!

BIRD FLU UPDATE

There’s been a lot of information circulating about highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Make sure you are getting your information about this virus from reliable sources.

Join our Hospital Director, Dr. Jen Riley, for an update on avian influenza based on what we are seeing at our hospital and other relevant information from across the country: WATCH VIDEO HERE

We have seen more HPAI positive cases in the last 30 days at our facility than we have seen in the previous 2+ years of surveillance testing. It’s time to take this virus seriously.

Additional sources for the video linked above include the CDC, the AVMA, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Louisiana Department of Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the Canton Repository.

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