By: Will Wight

The University of Minnesota’s The Raptor Center announced on April 13, 2022, that as the number of birds being infected by the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that is occurring all across the country, and especially across the state of Minnesota continues to increase, it might be time to bring in your bird feeders. This is the first time this highly contagious disease has been in North America since 2015. The first cases of H5N1 were reported in Minnesota back on March 25, 2022, according to the Minnesota DNR.

Avian Influenza

There are several strains of the Avian Influenza (AI) that are normally found to impact migrating waterfowl like swans, geese, ducks, and many other waterfowl. Often times birds can carry the disease without being sick and spread it to other bird species that it comes in contact with. One of the strains of this disease, H5N1, happens to be a very contagious and deadly strain that has already had an impact both regionally in the Midwest and Nationally in the United States across both the agricultural poultry and wild bird populations. Birds that are infected become very ill and tend to rapidly die. It is spread through feces and respiratory secretions of the birds that are infected which can then easily be passed on from there. This virus is also very hardy that can survive in the cold and freezing temperatures, along with in aquatic environments with the particles of this virus surviving at times for weeks. They have also found birds within the raptor group with this virus who have become severely ill and died after they ate other birds who had passed from this disease and ended up catching it themselves.

There are no available treatments for this virus. This is why there is such a high level of mortality with this disease among birds.

Local and National Numbers

So far in the month of April alone the following states: North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, Maine, New York, Nebraska, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, and Kansas have all reported H5N1 cases within commercial and backyard flocks of poultry that are made up of turkeys, chickens, captive pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, domestic geese, and guinea fowl. From April 1 to April 14, 2022, in the state of Minnesota alone, 1,464,158 commercial and backyard poultry birds have been infected with H5N1.

As of April 13, 2022, 32 states have reported positive cases of HPAI within wild bird samples which you can see on the map below. The six reports from the state of Minnesota were 3 Mallards, a Bald eagle, a Great horned owl, and Hooded merganser. According to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin as of April 14, 2022, the H5 and H5N1 strains have been sampled and found in wild bird populations in every state except Montana, Texas, and Wyoming since it was first found back in December 2021.

Impacts to Songbirds

When it comes to how this virus might impact the songbird populations it is a little more complicated. Scientists know how this virus works and spreads amongst the waterfowl groups, which includes shorebirds and seabirds, with little to no signs of the virus being present. They also know how this virus can spread to the raptor groups causing them to become severely ill and die. Additionally, there is some knowledge that this disease is causing severe illness among the geese, ducks, blue jays, and crow populations. There is a gap though in what is known when it comes to how this specific virus might impact the songbird population. They have some data from similar strains and outbreaks that occurred around the world, but this specific strain of H5N1 in the United States is more transmissible within the wildlife populations than previous strains, which has made the surveillance of this disease harder. This is what has led to the lack of science and understanding of how this might impact the songbird population.

It is because of this lack of knowledge officials at The Raptor Center in Minnesota and the Minnesota DNR have advised people should take down their bird feeders and birds baths out of an abundance of caution to not encourage birds to gather together at these places. It is at these places which the virus has been found to be very transmissible. The Raptor Center went a little further to even recommend waiting for the next couple of months to allow the rate of transmission to decrease in the hopes it will help protect the songbird populations.

As a side note, the Minnesota DNR also recommends that everyone cleans their bird feeders every Spring to help protect birds against the spread of other infections like salmonella. Mold and bacteria can build up on your bird seeders over time. Below you will find their recommendations for cleaning your bird feeders to help minimize the threat of spreading disease:

• Clean a bird feeder, use a solution of two ounces of bleach with one gallon of water and scrub the entire surface.

• Allow the cleaned feeder to dry out in the sun; sunlight will help kill bacteria on the feeder.

• Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned about every week to ten days during the summer.

• Keep the feed dry by using a hopper-type or a fly-through feeder and always scrape out old seed that has accumulated.

• To kill unwanted bacteria around bird feeding stations: Clean up all old seed and hulls on the ground under the feeders, then sprinkle lime on the ground about 1/4 deep, which may harm grass but will kill the bacteria. Keep pets away from the area for a few days. Lime can be purchased at any farm and garden store.

• It is also advisable to move the feeder to a different part of the yard if sick or dying birds are present.

Reporting a Possible Case of Bird Flu - Signs and Symptoms

According to the Minnesota DNR if you see any of the following, you need to report it to your local DNR wildlife staff or to the DNR information center, which can be reached at 888-646-6367.
The following are cases in which you should contact either of the above:

• Five or more dead wild birds of any kind found in one location during the same timeframe

• One or more raptors or waterfowl alive but exhibiting signs of sickness, which we have listed below:

  • Inability to fly

  • Drooping head

  • Swimming in circles

  • Trouble standing upright

  • Tremors

  • Loss of coordination

• One or more raptors or waterfowl in the same location and same timeframe with no apparent cause of death

If you are in another state and are finding similar conditions and symptoms mentioned above, please report to your local DNR office! Please do not touch the bird, if possible. If the biologists do not need the bird for sampling and you need to move it, wear disposable gloves, double bag the birds and place them in the trash. This will ensure other animals are unable to get to the carcasses and potentially become infected themselves.

Impacts to Humans

Again, you should avoid handling any animal that might be suspected of having the Bird Flu, if possible, but any risk of catching anything is unlikely according to the Centers for Disease Control, though there is still a small risk.

Sources

“2022 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds.” USDA APHIS | 2022 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds. 

““Avian Influenza.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ai.

“Avian Influenza Surveillance Active.” Avian Influenza Surveillance | U.S. Geological Survey, https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/avian-influenza-surveillance.

“Distribution of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in North America, 2021/2022 Active.” Distribution of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in North America, 2021/2022 | U.S. Geological Survey, https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/distribution-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-north-america-20212022#overview.

“Keep Birds Healthy by Cleaning Feeders Regularly.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birdfeeding/cleaning.html.

“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).” The Raptor Center, https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/our-research/HPAI.

“Homepage.” The Raptor Center, https://raptor.umn.edu/.