The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is being found in many wild birds in many different areas of Connecticut according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Waterfowl are particularly at risk.
“If you're seeing dead geese, if you're seeing dead ducks, if it's near open water, the odds are likely it probably is avian influenza,” DEEP Wildlife Division Director Jenny Dickson said.
Dickson is asking anyone who discovers more than five dead birds in the same place, or sees a pattern of several birds dying in the same spot over a few days, to report it to DEEP’s wild bird mortality database.
Dickson said they don't have the resources to respond to every call about a dead bird.
"It doesn't mean we're not paying attention. It doesn't mean we're not taking action. It just means we have to concentrate our resources where we can learn the most about managing the disease," she said.
DEEP first began tracking avian influenza in 2006 and Dickson said “there's some level of avian influenza always present in wild birds.”
She said the last big outbreak of the virus in wild birds was in 2022. This year’s outbreak might be due in part to the region’s cold winter.
“We've had a lot of frozen water,” which Dickson said concentrated birds into smaller areas of open water and increases the chances an illness can spread.
What to do about dead bird
If a Connecticut resident does find a dead bird, Dickson said leave it where it is because it can present a human health risk.
But if the bird is in a pathway or it might contaminate a homeowner’s backyard flock, DEEP has a recommended procedure on how to dispose of dead wild birds.
- Wear gloves or use a shovel to place the bird in a plastic bag.
- Place that bag into a second plastic bag.
- Spray the bag, the area where dead bird was found, your shoes and the shovel with a 10% bleach solution.
- The double-bagged dead bird should be disposed of in the trash.
- Thoroughly wash hands.
Studying species transmission in CT wildlife
“Winter is an incredibly stressful time for birds and there's a lot of other things that can kill birds,” Dickson said.
That’s another reason why she recommends leaving a dead bird in the landscape, she said. Because that carcass is a potential food source for another wildlife species.
“Although a raptor could possibly get avian influenza from that dead bird, it might not, “ Dickson said. “Birds need to put on enough calories and feed enough so they can survive winter. It’s a trade off.”
Dickson said they are trying to learn more about how the virus is transmitted between species, so they are focusing surveillance on raptors and other birds not known to be highly susceptible to it.
Dickson said there are no easy answers to managing a bird flu outbreak.
