Chaffinch feet disease (1 Viewer)

Saw this female Chaffinch at Abbotsbury, Dorset, yesterday, Also saw a male with the same swollen feet. Does anyone know what this problem is? Is it life threatening?
would appreciate any thoughts
thanks
alan

I think it's called knemidophytic mange and it is indeed grim. I've seen Chaffinches with no feet as a result. There are several threads on here with other details.

Hi Alan,

Full info can be found here: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/disease/warts

As you can see in Chaffinches it is more commonly the papillomavirus rather than mites. As far as I know and from info on the web it's not fatal, though can cause some discomfort and difficulty feeding. Though we have a lot of Chaffinches here, during ringing sessions they are very rarely able to ring the Chaffinches due to the huge number that are affected.

Thankyou John and thankyou Joe for the link, Glad to hear its not necessarily fatal, it was pretty cold at Abbotsbury nd she looked like she was wearing thermal socks!
Its a shame that there doesn't seem to be an easy and effective treatment for any captured birds - she looked in pretty good shape otherwise so perhaps it will end ok.
thats life I suppose
thanks again
alan