⚠️ This tool is a reference guide only — it is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis. Bird health deteriorates rapidly. If your bird is showing multiple symptoms, is on the bottom of its cage, is not responding normally, or you are in any doubt — contact an avian vet immediately rather than waiting to observe further.
🆘 Select all symptoms you are seeing
🚨 Potentially Emergency — act immediately if you see these
Open-mouth breathing EMERGENCY
Breathing with beak open when not hot or stressed
Tail bobbing EMERGENCY
Tail pumping up and down with each breath — labored breathing sign
On the cage floor EMERGENCY
Bird sitting on bottom of cage, unable or unwilling to perch
Seizure / convulsions EMERGENCY
Uncontrolled muscle spasms, falling, loss of coordination
Active bleeding EMERGENCY
Blood from any source — broken blood feather, wound, cloaca
Egg binding (female) EMERGENCY
Straining, wide stance, tail down, swollen abdomen in female
Known trauma / injury EMERGENCY
Hit window, fell, cat/dog contact, crushed, found unconscious
Possible toxin exposure EMERGENCY
Teflon/PTFE fumes, avocado, tobacco, fumes, household cleaners
⚠️ High concern — vet visit within 24 hours
Lethargy / unusual stillness
Sitting still, eyes partly closed, not responding to usual stimuli
Persistently fluffed feathers
Feathers puffed up for extended periods, not just after waking
Not eating / refusing food
Little or no food consumed over 12–24 hours
Visible weight loss / keel prominent
Breast bone (keel) visibly or sharply pronounced — significant health warning
Eye or nasal discharge
Watery, cloudy, or crusty discharge from eyes or nostrils
Voice change / loss of voice
Unusual raspy, clicking, or absent vocalizations in a bird that normally talks or calls
Regurgitating (not feeding mate)
Bringing up food not directed at another bird or toy — distinct from normal courtship regurgitation
Head tilt / circling
Persistent head tilt, rolling, or loss of balance — neurological sign
🔶 Moderate concern — monitor closely, vet within 48 hours if persisting
Diarrhea / abnormal droppings
Loose, very watery, discolored (green, black, red), or dramatically changed droppings
Frequent sneezing
More than occasional — especially with discharge or clicking sounds
Abnormal feather loss
Patchy loss not explained by normal molt — especially on head, neck, or body
Feather plucking / self-mutilation
Bird pulling out its own feathers or chewing its skin
Visible swelling or lump
Any new lump, bump, or swelling on the body, face, feet, or around the cloaca
Crusty or overgrown beak / cere
Crusting, flaking, or abnormal growth on beak or cere (nose area)
Lameness / favoring a leg or foot
Not bearing weight, holding leg up, swollen foot or joint
Cloudy or swollen eye
One or both eyes appearing filmy, partially closed, or swollen
Dramatically increased water intake
Drinking far more than usual — can signal kidney disease or diabetes
Soiled or pasted vent area
Droppings stuck around cloaca — sign of diarrhea, infection, or parasites
Symptoms selected: 0
Possible conditions to discuss with your vet
What to do now
📋 Common Bird Diseases — Quick Reference
| Condition | Key Symptoms | Severity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psittacosis (Chlamydiosis) | Lethargy, discharge, green droppings, weight loss, respiratory signs | Critical | Caused by Chlamydia psittaci. Zoonotic — can infect humans. Requires specific antibiotics (doxycycline). Reportable disease in many states. |
| Aspergillosis | Labored breathing, tail bobbing, wheezing, lethargy, weight loss | Critical | Fungal infection of respiratory tract. Common in stressed, immunocompromised, or African greys. Diagnosis requires imaging or culture. Difficult to treat. |
| Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD / Macaw Wasting Syndrome) | Weight loss despite eating, regurgitation, passing undigested seed, neurological signs | Critical | Caused by Avian Bornavirus. Progressive and often fatal. No reliable cure — management focuses on anti-inflammatory treatment and high-digestibility diet. |
| Pacheco's Disease | Sudden death, lethargy, ruffled feathers, yellow-green urates, diarrhea | Critical | Caused by Psittacid Herpesvirus. Highly contagious between birds. Often fatal within 1–3 days. Survivors become latent carriers. Vaccine available for outbreak situations. |
| Polyomavirus | Sudden death in chicks, regurgitation, weight loss, abnormal feather development | Critical | Particularly deadly in young psittacines and budgies (French molt). Adults may be subclinical carriers. Vaccine available. Spread through feather dust, feces, and crop secretions. |
| Egg Binding | Straining, tail down, wide-legged stance, abdominal swelling, lethargy in female | Critical | Female unable to pass an egg. Can be fatal within 24–48 hours if untreated. Caused by calcium deficiency, obesity, oversized egg, or structural issues. Emergency vet required. |
| Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) | Feather loss, abnormal feather growth, beak deformities, immunosuppression | High | Caused by Circovirus. No cure. Highly contagious. Young birds may die quickly; adults may live years with progressive deterioration. Test all new birds before introducing to collection. |
| Protozoan Infections (Giardia, Trichomonas) | Diarrhea, weight loss, itching/feather picking, regurgitation | High | Giardia common in cockatiels and budgies. Trichomonas (canker) causes yellow-white lesions in mouth — common in doves, pigeons, and parakeets. Treated with antiprotozoals. |
| Cloacitis / Vent Infection | Soiled or swollen vent, straining, blood in droppings, discomfort | High | Inflammation or infection of the cloaca. Can be bacterial, fungal, or parasitic. Secondary to cloacal papillomas (herpesvirus) in some species. |
| Respiratory Infection (Bacterial URI) | Nasal discharge, sneezing, voice change, wheezing, open-mouth breathing | High | Often secondary to stress, poor ventilation, or drafts. Most respond to antibiotics once causative bacteria are identified. Distinguish from fungal (aspergillosis) or viral causes. |
| Heavy Metal Toxicosis (Lead / Zinc) | Neurological signs, weakness, seizures, polyuria, green droppings, regurgitation | Critical | Caused by ingestion of galvanized metal (zinc), lead paint, solder, or lead-containing objects. Diagnosis by blood metal levels. Treated with chelation therapy. Time-sensitive. |
| Feather Destructive Behavior (FDB) | Self-plucking, chewing feathers or skin, bare patches, wounds | Variable | Can be behavioral (boredom, stress, hormonal), medical (PBFD, bacterial, parasitic, allergy), or psychological. Requires full workup to distinguish cause. Collar may be needed to prevent self-injury. |
| Knemidokoptes (Scaly Face / Scaly Leg Mites) | Crusty growths on cere, beak, legs, or feet; honeycomb-like texture | Moderate | Common in budgies. Caused by burrowing mite Knemidokoptes pilae. Treated with ivermectin or similar. Highly responsive to treatment if caught early. Contagious. |
| Candidiasis (Thrush) | White plaques in mouth or crop, regurgitation, slow crop emptying, lethargy | Moderate | Yeast infection (Candida albicans) of the digestive tract. Common in hand-fed chicks and immunocompromised birds. Treated with antifungals. Often secondary to antibiotic use. |
| Goiter (Iodine Deficiency) | Regurgitation, voice change, clicking or wheezing sounds, swollen crop area | Moderate | Primarily seen in budgies on all-seed diets. Enlarged thyroid gland compresses the crop and trachea. Prevented by balanced diet. Treated with iodine supplementation. |
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