Deformities Appear In SE Alaska Birds - 27 Species Affected

[hatrack]

"A beak deformity first recorded among blackcap chickadees near Anchorage is increasingly sighted in crows in Southeast Alaska, broadening an already mysterious phenomenon.

Blackcap chickadees, Northwestern crows and 25 other species of birds in Alaska have been reported with beaks up to three times as long as the normal size. The deformity often strikes mature birds and reduces their ability to feed and preen effectively. In many birds, the deformity leads to death.

"We don't know what's causing the problem," said Colleen Handel, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center in Anchorage. She's been studying the beak deformities for five years. Though the phenomenon was first noticed in blackcap chickadees in the early 1990s, a deformed raven, a deformed Steller's jay and several deformed crows have been reported in Southeast Alaska since 1997. Southeast sightings have increased this year, biologists say.

The center has received 1,600 reports of deformed beaks in Alaska, compared with only 12 reports of beak deformities in the rest of North America combined. Those deformities could have been caused by genetic mutations. But the beak deformity in Alaska's birds is most likely caused by something other than DNA, Handel said."

EDIT

http://juneauempire.com/stories/040604/loc_beaks.shtml

[bif]

1. It'll be better once we open up ANWR to drilling

With all that oil income, the oil companies will earmark a certain portion to do reasearch on the environment. You just wait!

[amazona]

2. part of it must be an artifact of reporting

If I had known that anyone was collecting beak deformity data, I could have filed a report this summer. I can promise you that there are a lot more beak deformities in the Lower 48 than 12 birds but if you don't know of anyone collecting the data, why would you document it?

Most overgrowth of beaks I've seen has been caused by mites. It can be treated but it's probably problematical to do so in wild birds.

Me, I'd test for mites first, but assuming this is the first thing they would have thought of, I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it is less unusual than they fear.

[NNadir]

3. You are obviously well informed on this subject.

What would your comment be if I hypothesized that the prevalence of mites could be effected by Global Warming? As I understand it, some of the most profound effects now being seen are in fact in Alaska.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[amazona]

4. to be honest i don't know enough to be sure

It could be, no reason to think it couldn't be, especially if the mites had not previously been seen in wild birds and they had little resistance. I live in Louisiana, we have it all from mites to West Nile (an introduced disease) to avian pox (which is a cyclical disease that hit some of my yard birds pretty bad last year). The argument in this state is over about global climate change as far as birders are concerned -- it's here and it's real. I'm told the situation in Alaska is much worse. There are insect issues from global warming in Alaska; no reason the mites (arthropods) couldn't be expanding as well. To be honest, my very first thought was this -- mites expanding into a new area, hitting populations of birds with no resistance to their effects. But it isn't real hard to test for mites and they didn't mention it in the article, so I will tentatively assume that there is another factor I'm not aware of.

[NNadir]

5. Thanx. Would this be a standard test ornithologists would run? n/t

[amazona]

6. well it's a standard test an avian vet would run

It's pretty much the first thing you look for with beak overgrowth. While it's well established that the mites almost always come from wild birds perching on aviaries and transmitting the mites to the aviary birds, communication between people who deal with the pet/aviary trade and field ornithologists isn't always as good as it might be. Now you have me wondering if I should write a polite letter to this investigator and suggest that she test for mites but I don't want to insult her if it's something she did on Day One. Hmmm.

[NNadir]

7. If I were the investigator, I would be happy to receive such a letter.

...especially if it were phrased politely.

It shows, among other things, that people are interested in my work.