Magpies looking unwell - avian pox? (1 Viewer)

[Jonno52]

The attached shot of Common Magpies Pica pica was taken from my south London window on 2 May 2018. Thought I had a nice enough "behavioural" image, but closer inspection suggests something wrong with the eyes, more so on the further bird, and the latter appears to have a growth at the bill base: is this avian pox, or some other disease?

From memory, after this I saw both birds again occasionally, but successful breeding seems unlikely.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

 

[RafaelMatias]

I don't see anything on those birds suggesting avian pox. Perhaps a few feathers moulted/shed, but that's all.

 

[Jonno52]

I don't see anything on those birds suggesting avian pox. Perhaps a few feathers moulted/shed, but that's all.

Thanks very much Rafael. On reconsideration, maybe what I took to be a "growth" on the upper mandible of the far bird could be a smear of mud. Perhaps I was being unduly pessimistic: if they have the energy to be gathering nest material, I suppose they can't be in such bad shape.