Blackbird (IMAGE) University of Helsinki Caption Blackbirds often have ticks and a small number of birds carry diseases such as Lyme disease. Credit Aleksi Lehikoinen Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.