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Blue birds found dead in a month #874426

Asked June 24, 2024, 12:25 PM EDT

I have found at least 3 dead blue birds and one pine sisken on our property in less than a month. Could this be bird flu? We have no cats and the birds have had no wounds on them. I still have the body of the latest blue bird if examining it is helpful.

Charlevoix County Michigan

Expert Response


Hello there,
Bird flue doesn't normally effect song birds in this dramatic of a way, and is generally considered to be non-leathel to songbirds and more effects waterfowl, upland game birds, raptors and mostly domestic poultry. With that said the disease is a virus that changes over time. There is still a chance it could be bird flu, but again I have not heard of it being lethal to song birds.

There are many things that kill birds so it isn't possible to say what it is. There is a chance this could have been caused by a pollutant in your area, or by a pesticide being misapplied. Or perhaps it is a different disease in your area. It may also be a stray cat that is killing your birds (they will sometimes kill but not eat). Or maybe even weather related. I couldn't really say what could be going on here.


With that said you can report these bird deaths to the Michigan DNR. You can learn more about reporting here: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/animals/diseases/avian/avian-influenza/report-sick-or-dead-birds

You can learn more about avian influenza (aka bird flu) here: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/animals/diseases/avian/avian-influenza


And more about how it effects song birds and what birds are most impacted here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/avian-influenza-outbreak-should-you-take-down-your-bird-feeders/#

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