Psittacine beak and feather disease is a viral disease first identified in Australian parrots. It affects many members of the Psittacine family but is more likely found in Australian parrots such as Galahs, Corellas, and Sulfur Crested Cockatoos. The disease has not yet been reported in Cockatiels.
What are signs of Beak and Feather disease?
Beak and feather disease can affect both adult birds and young chicks in two predominant forms
- Acute: The disease can develop in young birds before or during the development of feathers. This form is characterised by a rapid onset of lethargy, vomiting, and premature molting of feathers if present. There are often secondary infections and high mortality within 2-4 weeks.
- Chronic: A slow progression of the disease as the immune system fights the virus in adult birds. Over time there is a progressive feather, claw, and beak malformation. Eventually, all feather growth stops and the bird may have trouble feeding.
Why testing suspected cases is important for the health of your aviaries
Beak and Feather disease is generally spread via droppings, in the secretions of adult birds feeding chicks, or via close contact. Unfortunately, there is no treatment yet for the disease and so eliminating the disease quickly from your aviaries is important to prevent rapid spreading.
Sample Collection
To make the sampling process as simple and pain free as possible for your bird we recommend the submission of feathers for DNA extraction.
- Feathers should always be plucked fresh, kept separate for each individual bird and can be posted by regular mail in paper envelopes.
- We recommend for large birds (e.g. Psittcines) 2-3 feather plucked from the chest or breast of the bird and for smaller birds (e.g. Passerines) 2-3 tail or flight feathers.
- Ideally, the feathers will display a small speck of blood at the tip of the calamus although this is not always visible.