SOCIETY
DISEASE THREAT TO UK GARDEN BIRDS
Baku, August 19 (AZERTAC). A disease that first emerged in the UK in 2005 has caused a severe decline in the number of greenfinches and chaffinches, according to researchers.
In the worst affected areas, greenfinch populations have fallen by an estimated 35% and in 2007 about 500,000 birds of all species were killed, they say.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has blamed a fatal infection caused by the bacterium Trichomonas gallinae.
It said the number of deaths from such an emerging disease was unprecedented.
Findings about the "disease" are reported in the journal PLoS One.
The impact on birds has been estimated from a "citizen science" project in which more than 700 people have been monitoring bird numbers in their gardens since 2003.
The "Garden Bird Health Initiative" involved scientists from the BTO and other conservation organisations analysing population trends of several common garden birds.
The disease has caused a decline in the populations of both chaffinches and greenfinches, but it seems to impact particularly upon the greenfinches.