April 23: The Indian Express report by Harikrishnan Nair states that the parasite that destroyed Britain’s greenfinch population, bringing the numbers of the much-loved green-yellow garden birds from around 4.3 million breeding pairs in 2005 to fewer than 1.5 million in 2016, has been discovered in the common Indian myna. The parasite, Trichomonas gallinae, causes Avian trichomonosis, a disease common among the columbid class of birds, viz., pigeons and doves, worldwide. It causes sores in the throats of these birds, and of birds that prey on them, making it difficult for them to feed, and resulting eventually in death.
The Indian Express: Paper clip: Parasite that killed UK birds seen in mynas in Pakistan
