Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Bird Flu and Wild Birds

Wild birds, especially migratory waterfowl and shore birds generally do not become ill as a result of infection with bird flu. Some reports from Asia indicate that the H5N1 virus has caused illness and death in wild birds. Although migratory birds are capable of spreading bird flu viruses including H5N1, the role of bird migration is not well understood. Transmission from wild birds to humans has not been documented and there is no indication that North American waterfowl are infected with H5N1 bird flu.

Because migratory wild waterfowl are known to be a natural reservoir of bird flu, a national surveillance program has been established to monitor for bird flu in migratory wild birds. Waterfowl and other migratory birds can serve as an important sentinel for bird flu. A detection of the H5N1 virus in wild birds will aid animal health officials in setting up additional surveillance and protective measures to help guard against its spread to domestic fowl.

Reporting Sick or Dead Wild Birds

Dead shorebirds or waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) can be reported to USDA-Wildlife Services at 1-866-4USDAWS (487-3297) as part of a national monitoring program for bird flu. If you find one or two dead song birds, it’s very unlikely to be related to bird flu as it is not uncommon for bird losses to naturally occur from a variety of causes. However, if the cause of death is not obvious (i.e. flew into window, killed by an animal or other trauma) and there are more than four dead song birds, you can also report dead song birds to USDA-Wildlife Services. USDA-WS will determine on a case by case basis whether testing is necessary.

Between May 1 and October 31, dead crows or blue jays can be reported to county health departments as part of regular monitoring and testing for West Nile Virus (WNV).

For More Information

For more information about WNV, visit the Tennessee Department of Health’s Web site at http://www2.state.tn.us/health/CEDS/WNV/wnvhome.asp. A list of county health departments can be found at
http://www2.state.tn.us/health/LocalDepts/.