"Twisted Beaks": Scientists Exploring Deformities Focus on New Virus

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Home from work, Sandra Talbot headed straight for her favorite spot, a window overlooking the bird feeder. The winter light sparkled off the snow cushioning the white spruce and birch forest around her house. She watched the commotion of songbirds, vying for the best seed or chunk of peanut butter.

Amid the pack, one stood out: a bird with a beak curved like a piece of macaroni. The black-capped chickadee looked dirty and unkempt. It couldn't preen, and it had to awkwardly tip its head to the side to pick up a piece of suet.

Talbot, a wildlife geneticist at the U.S. Geological Survey and a backyard birder, was stunned. She doubted the bird would live much longer."

Jane Kay reports for Environmental Health News September 15, 2014, as part 10 of its "Winged Warning" series published in conjunction with National Geographic.

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