Deadly parrot virus rife in Aussie birds

Aussie researchers have found wild Australian parrots - including Crimson Rosellas, Eastern Rosellas, Galahs, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Blue-winged Parrots, Rainbow Lorikeets and Red-rumped Parrots - to be rife with a dangerous virus called Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV). The virus causes our feathered friends to develop malformations in their claws and beaks, as well as stopping them from growing any feathers. Of the four most caught species, the team found the virus in 41.8 per cent of Crimson Rosellas, 20 per cent of the Cockys, 11.8 per cent of the Blue-Winged Parrots, and 8.8 per cent of the Galahs. As the disease is shed through the feathers, the team warns that BFDV is endemic in south-eastern Australia, and we need to make moves to protect our native flappy-friends.