How long can circoviruses live and remain infectious in the environment in moulted feathers , faeces etc. If birds live long enough, they develop baldness as feather follicles become inactive. Loss of appetite, diarrhea and regurgitation may be the only signs of illness. Isolation of positive birds is important in disease prevention. Consequently many diseased birds succumb to bacterial and other infections. Very few birds survive PBFD although they may live a fairly long life with good care and very little stress. A Beak and Feather Disease Survivor- Sweetpea’s Story Story by Mary W. Sweetpea came into our lives in December of 1995. I'm so sorry. Awwwww. Short, clubbed feathers and deformed curled feathers are seen. Identifying whether your bird has the Beak and Feather Disease (Psittacine Beak and Feather - PBFD). Often death is caused by a secondary infection due to the reduced immunity caused by PBFD. Very few birds survive PBFD although they may live a fairly long life with good care and very little stress. These changes occur in birds that have survived the acute stage of the disease. Birds infected after they have developed a functional immune system tend to follow a more chronic disease course that will present with feather abnormalities and possibly some level of immune suppression. Most of the larger birds live longer. Think how easily the flu is spread between people, that is how easily this disease spreads between birds. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is a contagious, fatal viral disease that affects the beak, feathers, and immune system of birds belonging to the Psittacidae family. You all need to really research what you feed your birds. Certain species of birds may develop abnormally colored feathers. Don J. Harris, Barbara L. Oglesbee, in Saunders Manual of Small Animal Practice (Third Edition), 2006. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease or PBFD is caused by a circovirus which infects and kills the cells of the feather and beak. The virus is shed in the faeces and feather dust of infected birds and is extremely resistant, able to survive in the environment for months. This disease is, to say the least, a nuisance. Seed diet alone will get you dead birds. Some birds can live a very long healthy life with this disease even though they are infected. Live PBFD viruses are passed from infected birds in saliva, faeces, skin and feather dander, feathers and other items such as clothing, hands, soil that have been in contact with them. Testing by PCR (a minimum of three tests) and separating positive birds from negative birds is a recommended control measure, although the number of false-negative tests (due to intermittent shedding) makes this a long … Many of the big Macaws that we see, even the Amazon Parrots, the African Greys can live 30 to 40, sometimes even more years in captivity.