Since January 1994, when House Finches with red, swollen eyes were first observed at feeders in the Washington, D. C. area, including parts of Maryland and Virginia, House Finch disease has spread rapidly through the eastern House Finch population.

Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, as the disease is commonly called, is caused by a unique strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a parasitic bacterium previously known to infect only poultry.

To date, prevalence of the House Finch eye disease has affected mainly the eastern House Finch population, which is largely separated from the western House Finch population by the Rocky Mountains. Until the 1940s, House Finches were found only in western North America. They were released to the wild in the East after pet stores stopped illegal sales of "Hollywood Finches," as they were commonly known to the pet bird trade. The released birds successfully bred and spread rapidly throughout eastern North America.

Will Mycoplasma gallisepticum eventually cover the entire North American House Finch range? If so, at what rate will the epidemic continue to expand? Will House Finch numbers decrease in the West as they have in the East? Will other bird species become infected with the conjunctivitis? The House Finch Disease Survey will help us find out. Your observations are important. Would you please help track the spread of this harmful disease?

Contact information:
House Finch Disease Survey Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, New York 14850 E-mail: [email protected]