Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) in wild parrot populations has been detected in eight new countries, raising concerns for threatened species.<\/p>\n
The new countries where BFDV was found are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Japan, Nigeria, Seychelles, Vietnam, Senegal and The Gambia and were identified in a study led by PhD candidate Debbie Fogell<\/a>\u00a0at DICE in collaboration with\u00a0The World Parrot Trust<\/a>,\u00a0Zoological Society of London<\/a>\u00a0(ZSL),\u00a0Mauritian Wildlife Foundation<\/a>,\u00a0Seychelles Island Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Vinh University<\/a>.<\/p>\n The study highlights\u00a0the need for greater awareness of the risks of the spread of infectious disease\u00a0associated with the international trade in live parrots. Parrots are among the\u00a0most threatened bird groups\u00a0and are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases. They are also among the most frequently traded birds listed by the\u00a0Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species<\/a>\u00a0(CITES) and the\u00a0illegal trade has already driven the cross-border movement of over 19 million parrots\u00a0since 1975.<\/p>\n This movement has aided the establishment of numerous parrot populations outside of their native distributions, most notably the highly invasive Rose-ringed parakeet which is now known to have\u00a0breeding populations in over 35 countries across five continents. BFDV, believed to have originated in Australasia, is a\u00a0well-known cause of infectious disease in captive parrots. Affected birds can develop feather abnormalities, claw and beak deformities and the disease may lead to eventual death, particularly in juveniles.<\/p>\n The\u00a0first detection of BFDV\u00a0in wild parrots native to southern and Southeast Asia and western Africa in this study\u00a0highlights the need for further research\u00a0in these regions and may have implications for the conservation of vulnerable species that also exist there. This study indicates that there are\u00a0very close relationships between genetic sequences from wild populations across globally distinct regions\u00a0and that there have been multiple introduction events to western Africa.<\/p>\n Debbie Fogell said, “The successful establishment of invasive species like Rose-ringed parakeets can bedevastating to small island populations or threatened species. Not only through competition for resources, but by exposing them to a virus like BFDV, which may pose an important additional threat to species that are already suffering the pressures of low genetic diversity and habitat loss\u2019.<\/p>\n