Federal and state wildlife officials in the Mid-Atlantic region are asking people to stop feeding birds and filling bird baths amid dozens of reports of mysterious songbird deaths. “. . . what’s especially challenging about this is that it’s not localized . . . to one specific geographic area [and] it’s not localized to one particular bird species,” said Lisa A. Murphy, BS, VMD.
The birds exhibit distressing symptoms, including problems with their eyes and possibly their nervous systems. Many birds have been found blind and/or with crusty eyes. They often appear on the ground, confused, with shaky heads, and are sometimes lethargic or unresponsive.
Sources:
- A mystery illness is killing Mid-Atlantic songbirds, NPR, June 2, 2021.
- Mysterious bird deaths in the Mid-Atlantic region, Smithsonian, June 28, 2021. Link.
Most of the illness is seen predominately in juveniles. Several species of typical backyard birds have been reported including mostly blue jays, common grackles, European starlings, and American robins. Carolina wrens, gray catbirds, house sparrows, northern cardinals and northern flickers have also been reported.
NOTE: Reporting birds that are dead or sick is important. Link.
INSIGHTS: Animal health pros need to monitor this situation considering the number of backyard and free-range poultry growers whose operations routinely find poultry interacting with wild birds at feeders and water sources.