Hundreds of finches across Britain are dying from an outbreak of trichomoniasis, a parasite which causes the birds a painful death but is not harmful to humans. The disease is transmitted via water or saliva, as infected birds share bird feeders and baths with healthy birds. Garden hygiene can stop the spread and homeowners are asked to keep bird feeding areas clean and change the water supply regularly. Read more about the epidemic in Garden finches fall prey to deadly virus on the Times Online.