Yesterday and this morning I have seen a lethargic house sparrow in my garden. It has what looks like red raw skin around both eyes. I assume that this illness/disease will eventually prove fatal to this sparrow. I will disinfect everywhere I have seen this sparrow sitting but is this illness/disease likely to be contagious and hence fatal to other birds?
Hi New1, if the bird is looking ill, lethargic and has skin problems too it is more than likely contagious and it really depends on how advanced the disease is and which type of disease as to whether the bird would recover. One of the most common that can also affect the eyes is salmonella but it could equally be one of the other common diseases that affect birds. There is a little information HERE. If you see more than one bird looking sick then I would withdraw all feeders and water dishes for a period of three weeks as a lot of these diseases are easily transferred from one bird to another. Hopefully it is something a little less serious like bacterial conjunctivitis Good luck and hope it is only the one bird that you see ill.