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Shortness of breath, paralyzed pigeons, dead starlings: what about birds?
Findings of sick and dead birds have accumulated in recent weeks. Dangerous pathogens are currently circulating in Basel and Germany.
A remarkable number of blue tits have died in Germany since March. They suffer from shortness of breath, their eyes are sticky and they sit listlessly on the floor. Last week there were reports of sick pigeons from Basel. A few weeks earlier, dozens of dead starlings were found in Thurgau. And all in times of the pandemic. Is there a connection?
The Nature Conservation Association was notified of 26,000 diseased blue boobs within twelve days. Image: shutterstock.com
Tits in Germany actually die of pneumonia. But that has nothing to do with Covid. The pathogen has been identified, it is a bacterium called Suttonella ornithocola. According to Naturschutzbund Deutschland, it almost exclusively affects the titmice and among these predominantly smaller species, such as the blue tit.
Social distance for garden birds
Even experts don’t know for sure how the pathogen is transmitted. However, transmission is believed to be more likely when birds are in close contact with each other. It is also clear how spread could be reduced: birds would have to keep their distance. What sounds like a flat joke actually means seriously. While humans don’t visit restaurants and pools, garden owners with sick titmouse should refrain from feeding and removing bird baths for the same reasons.
The existence of the blue tit is not in danger. However, 26,000 sick birds were reported to the nature conservation association within twelve days. They are concentrated in a belt that runs through western Germany in Frankfurt. Luxembourg and Belgium are also affected. Birds in Switzerland seem to have been saved so far. However, the “Südkurier” reports a handful of cases from Constance. It is feared that the epidemic will spread to the entire Lake Constance area, said an expert from the nature conservation association.
The pigeon plague in Basel
The disease, which has been killing pigeons in Basel for a few days, is due to another pathogen. Behind the so-called pigeon plague is a virus that is transmitted directly from one pigeon to another through food, drinking water, or secretions. It can cause paralysis of the wings and legs, causing birds to starve or starve.
Until yesterday there were 11 confirmed cases in Basel. “We are still at the beginning of the course of the disease,” says cantonal veterinarian Michel Laszlo. A disease outbreak could last for a few weeks, but in the current case the duration cannot yet be estimated. The course depends, among other things, on how strongly the pigeons come into contact with each other, for example at the central feeding points.
Pigeon feeding has been banned in Basel-City since last fall. In March, the ban on animal welfare groups was questioned: as people stayed home, there were hardly any leftovers and pigeons were starving. Authorities see it differently, as they confirmed last week: the pigeons could become infected at feeding points and there was no shortage of food.
The virus can also spread to humans, but it is not dangerous to us. At most, it triggers conjunctivitis or mild flu symptoms. Anyone who finds a sick or dead bird should not touch it with their own hands. A transfer to poultry cannot be ruled out and, in the worst case scenario, could result in the death of the entire poultry population on a farm.
How the virus got to Basel is unknown. According to the Federal Veterinary Office, the last cases in Switzerland were in November in the Canton of Jura. Michel Laszlo, from the canton of Basel-City, says: “The virus circulates in the wild pigeon population and there are always spontaneous outbreaks in Switzerland.” However, he does not expect the disease to spread further from Basel, as the pigeons are relatively faithful to the location in the city. Carrier pigeons can also become infected, but are generally vaccinated.
New pathogens from Africa and Great Britain
Since bird flu occurred in Switzerland in 2006, dead birds have been increasingly reported to the Federal Office of Veterinary Affairs. However, it is still difficult to say whether they die more or are reported more frequently. Unlike the pigeon plague, titmouse death is a new phenomenon in Germany. For a long time, the pathogen was only known in Britain, the first case in Germany was two years ago. In the same year, the African Usutu virus killed the blackbird. There have also been cases in Switzerland.
The cause of death is not just disease. The approximately 120 starlings that were found dead or half-dead in Thurgau in March found pulmonary hemorrhage and skull injuries. The most plausible explanation, according to the Sempach Ornithological Institute, is a collision between a flock and a vehicle like a truck. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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