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Links Related to Beak Deformity Research Active

By Alaska Science Center August 14, 2018

Links, videos and news articles related to beak deformity research

Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems or Wildlife Disease and Environmental Health >> Beak Deformities

Bird Bill Deformities - Julie Craves of Rogue River Bird Observatory has compiled historic and current records of beak deformities in passerine species.

Falcon Research Group - Bud Anderson and others are investigating a cluster of hawks with beak deformities in Washington State. 

British Trust for Ornithology — BTO has started the Big Garden Beak Watch program in response to similar beak deformities reported in Europe. 

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Small bird on a suet ball
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Black-capped Chickadee climbing on a suet ball with crossed beak. ​​​​​​​(Credit: Joy Geiselman, USGS, Alaska Science Center. Public domain.)

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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A Black-capped Chickadee on a branch with a grossly deformed beak

Beak Deformities in Landbirds

Over the past 20 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds. This disease, called avian keratin disorder (AKD), is characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening, and may suffer high rates of mortality.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Beak Deformities in Landbirds

Over the past 20 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds. This disease, called avian keratin disorder (AKD), is characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening, and may suffer high rates of mortality.
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Below are publications associated with this project.

Handel, C. M., L. M. Pajot, S. M. Matsuoka, K. A. Trust, J. M. Stotts, J. Terenzi, and S. L. Talbot. 2006. Potential Role of Environmental Contaminants in the Pathology of Beak Deformities among Black-capped Chickadees in South-central Alaska. Unpb. final rpt. Project ID: 1130-7F22. U. S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK.

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Beak deformities in Northwestern Crows: Evidence of a multispecies epizootic

Beak abnormalities are rare among adult birds and, typically, are not widespread in a given population, within a region, or across multiple species. A high concentration of beak deformities was recently documented in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and other resident avian species in Alaska. We describe a parallel condition in Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) that signals the em
Authors
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Epizootic of beak deformities among wild birds in Alaska: An emerging disease in North America?

The sudden appearance of a large cluster of animals with gross abnormalities may signal a significant change in an ecosystem. We describe an unusual concentration of beak deformities that appear to have arisen rapidly within Alaska and now extend southward along the Pacific Coast. In Alaska we have documented 2,160 Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and 435 individuals of 29 other spec
Authors
Colleen M. Handel, Lisa M. Pajot, Steven M. Matsuoka, Caroline R. Van Hemert, John Terenzi, Sandra L. Talbot, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Carol U. Meteyer, Kimberly A. Trust
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Alaskan birds at risk: Widespread beak deformities in resident species

The team creeps silently across a well-tended lawn, eyes drawn to a small wooden box perched several meters up a lone birch tree. The first biologist is armed with a broom in one hand and a bug net in the other. Her partner wields a lunchbox-sized plastic case and a tree-climbing ladder that looks like an oversized radio antenna. A neighbor peers out her window from across the street to watch the
Authors
Caroline R. Van Hemert
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Use of buccal swabs for sampling DNA from nestling and adult birds

We evaluated the feasibility and efficiency of using swabs to collect buccal epithelial cells fromsmall (2‐ to 13‐g) birds as a source of DNA for genetic studies. We used commercially available buccal swab kits to collect samples from 42 adult and 39 nestling (4‐ to 8‐day‐old) black‐capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and from6 4‐day‐old nestling boreal chickadees (P. hudsonica). We compared 
Authors
Colleen M. Handel, Lisa M. Pajot, Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center