Mysterious beak deformities may be caused by virus, researchers say

It’s been almost 20 years since large numbers of birds with unusually long beaks first appeared in Alaska.
The birds, whose beaks grow at twice the normal rate, often die from starvation because they can’t feed themselves. Researchers now believe a virus may be causing the beak deformities.http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kbbi/audio/2016/12/161205_twistedbeak_pkg_0.mp3Homer resident Michael Craig first noticed the bird at his feeder about six years ago. It was a black-capped chickadee, and he k