Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/03/garden-birds-avian-pox-virus
UK garden birds hit by avian pox virus
Conservationists call on public to help track the spread of the disease, which has taken hold among great tits and other birds
* Alok Jha, science correspondent
* The Guardian, Wednesday 3 August 2011
Conservationists are calling on the public to help efforts to track the spread of a bird disease that has taken hold in garden birds in recent years, with great tits particularly badly hit by the lesions it causes.
In 2006, scientists confirmed the first case of avian pox in a British great tit ? before then, the virus had been confined to birds in Scandanavia, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Last year, the pox virus reached Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire, which contains a population of great tits that have been monitored by scientists since 1947, the longest running study of its kind in the world.
"We were very concerned when we first detected this disease," said Ben Sheldon of the Edward Grey Institute at the University of Oxford. "We're using our detailed observations to try to understand how this new form of pox affects survival and reproductive success."
Avian pox leads to warty, tumour-like growths on birds, particularly around the eyes and beak. It is known to have mild effects on a wide range of British birds such as the dunnock, house sparrow, starling and the wood pigeon. But things are worse for great tits...
UK garden birds hit by avian pox virus
Conservationists call on public to help track the spread of the disease, which has taken hold among great tits and other birds
* Alok Jha, science correspondent
* The Guardian, Wednesday 3 August 2011
Conservationists are calling on the public to help efforts to track the spread of a bird disease that has taken hold in garden birds in recent years, with great tits particularly badly hit by the lesions it causes.
In 2006, scientists confirmed the first case of avian pox in a British great tit ? before then, the virus had been confined to birds in Scandanavia, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Last year, the pox virus reached Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire, which contains a population of great tits that have been monitored by scientists since 1947, the longest running study of its kind in the world.
"We were very concerned when we first detected this disease," said Ben Sheldon of the Edward Grey Institute at the University of Oxford. "We're using our detailed observations to try to understand how this new form of pox affects survival and reproductive success."
Avian pox leads to warty, tumour-like growths on birds, particularly around the eyes and beak. It is known to have mild effects on a wide range of British birds such as the dunnock, house sparrow, starling and the wood pigeon. But things are worse for great tits...