A Bird’s Eye View of Avian Disease Ecology

Abstract

Wild birds are a source of joy and fascination to people worldwide and unmatched in their capacity to connect people to nature. Yet, the fate of wild birds is being threatened by human activities that alter and destroy habitat, increase pollution, and contribute to global climate change. Pathogens and parasites pose another threat to birds—a threat that we are just beginning to uncover. The chapter explores avian disease ecology and the ways in which the avian host–parasite interaction is both influenced by and has consequences for every level of ecological hierarchy, from the physiology, behavior, and evolution of individual hosts to the complex biotic and abiotic interactions occurring within biological communities and ecosystems. In addition, these diverse parasite–bird interactions are increasingly occurring in rapidly changing global environments—their ecology is changing—and this shapes the complex ways by which parasites influence the interconnected health of birds, humans, and shared ecosystems.