Hello. I've noticed this greenfinch visit my garden a few times lately but have only succeeded in getting a few pictures today - albeit pretty unclear ones. She appears to have a raw looking mark above her beak but seems to be in good health in spite of this. Is this anything to worry about and if so, is there anything I can do? Your help and advice is much appreciated.
Cheers for that Alan. I wasn't sure if it was anything serious or not but I thought I'd check anyway just in case.
Thanks
Fergus
It looks to me like mechanical damage rather than pox is the cause in this case. I have seen a number of pictures of individual birds with the area above the beak looking raw, and this has normally turned out to be caused by something rubbing the top of the beak damaging the skin there. However, it is worth you keeping an eye on this bird, and if this red area starts to swell up into a lump, that would be an indication that pox is a possibility. If that happens, then please do report it to us via the reporting form on the disease pages on the main RSPB website.
Thank you! I shall keep a lookout for this bird and see what transpires. Fingers crossed it is mechanical damage like you said.
Cheers
Fingers crossed he gets better.
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. - John Lubbock