Initially printed April 2022. Up to date by October 2025 to replicate additional developments within the outbreak.
Many individuals are involved concerning the outbreak of avian influenza, or chook flu, that started in 2022 and has affected home poultry, waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, different species of birds, and a few mammals in lots of elements of the world. As a result of the present pressure (H5N1) causes heavy losses to poultry, it’s known as extremely pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.
Transmission of avian influenza from birds to humans is rare, in response to Facilities for Illness Management’s abstract of present avian influenza testing and infection statistics.
Reviews of Avian Flu in Birds
This H5N1 pressure of avian influenza virus impacts all kinds of untamed birds, together with hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, crows, vultures, shorebirds, sport birds, seabirds, and particularly waterfowl corresponding to Canada Geese and Mallards (see list of species with HPAI detections, beneath). The virus is shed within the saliva, mucus, and feces of contaminated birds and is transmitted to different birds by way of ingestion or inhalation.
Due to the period of this outbreak, its latest unfold to mammal species, and widespread mortalities in some kinds of wild birds, there was concern about whether or not it’s secure for folks to feed wild birds. In January 2025, March 2023, and April 2022, we checked in with Dr. Sarah Bevins and Dr. Julianna Lenoch, who lead the USDA APHIS National Wildlife Disease Program to compile some key factors relating to HPAI in songbirds and different feeder guests.
Low Danger of Avian Flu to Songbirds
There was widespread transmission of avian flu to wild chook species together with waterfowl and raptors. Nevertheless, there have been comparatively few documented cases of HPAI in songbirds and different typical feeder guests thus far, though this will change with elevated testing or adjustments to the virus. Which means there may be presently a low threat of an outbreak amongst wild songbirds, and no official recommendation to take down feeders except you additionally preserve home poultry, in response to the Nationwide Wildlife Illness Program. We do all the time suggest that you simply clean bird feeders and birdbaths regularly as a strategy to preserve many sorts of illnesses at bay.
We additionally all the time suggest that you simply comply with any suggestions put out by your state authorities, even in circumstances the place that recommendation conflicts with ours. The CDC’s page on avian influenza in birds compiles extra useful info and assets, in English and Spanish.
How do we all know songbirds are at low threat?
- USDA APHIS has a robust, multiyear surveillance program that routinely samples wild birds, together with flocks of songbirds (and different species corresponding to Rock Pigeons and Mourning Doves which might be usually round people), for the presence of avian influenza. Their outcomes are displayed on a Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance dashboard. Detections of HPAI in wild birds from all sources are reported by USDA APHIS: Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds.
- Extremely pathogenic avian influenza doesn’t have an effect on all kinds of birds equally. For instance, waterfowl usually carry and transmit chook flu, and with the present pressure they often get sick or die. Raptors are rather more delicate to the illness. Home poultry are extraordinarily vulnerable to HPAI and unfold the illness simply, resulting in as much as 100% mortality of affected flocks.
- Songbirds are a lot much less seemingly than waterfowl to contract variants of avian influenza and fewer prone to shed massive quantities of virus, which means they don’t transmit the illness simply. (For detailed critiques, see Ringenberg et al. 2024 within the journal Transboundary and Rising Illnesses, and Shriner and Root 2020 within the journal Viruses.)
- In accordance with a separate examine in Journal of Wildlife Illnesses, “…though passerines and terrestrial wild birds might have a restricted position within the epidemiology of IAV [avian influenza A viruses] when related to contaminated home poultry or different aberrant hosts, there isn’t a proof supporting their involvement as pure reservoirs for IAV.” (Slusher et al. 2014)
- For these causes, it’s unlikely that chook feeders will contribute to an outbreak amongst songbirds.
If songbirds are at low threat, why are individuals who preserve poultry suggested to take down their chook feeders?
- The primary concern with songbirds is the prospect {that a} uncommon particular person may transmit an an infection to poultry. This can be a concern as a result of poultry are a lot extra susceptible than songbirds to HPAI.
- The important thing intervention is to maintain songbirds away from poultry; it’s much less essential to maintain songbirds away from one another.
- When you’ve got a yard poultry flock, these are an important steps to take:
(click on for full data on these biosecurity measures from USDA APHIS) - As a secondary measure, USDA APHIS recommends for poultry homeowners to take down wild chook feeders or preserve them effectively away from their captive flock
- If you happen to preserve chickens or geese, please see additionally newest info from the USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service.
If you happen to preserve nest bins:
Avian influenza is simply hardly ever transmitted to people, in response to the USDA. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention considers the general public health risk from avian flu to be low. Nonetheless, our NestWatch venture all the time advises good hygiene and extremely recommends that folks put on disposable gloves and/or wash their arms totally after checking nest bins. Most birds that use nest bins are songbirds, that are at low threat for contracting or transmitting avian influenza. If you happen to monitor waterfowl or raptor nests (e.g., Wooden Duck, Frequent Merganser, Canada Goose, American Kestrel, Barred Owl), we recommend you put on gloves, change or wash gloves and disinfect gear between nest bins (utilizing soapy water, a disinfectant corresponding to Lysol, or a dilute bleach answer), put on a masks when cleansing out nest bins, and alter garments and footwear earlier than visiting any home poultry.
If you’re a wildlife rehabilitator:
Wildlife rehabilitators ought to take precautions when accepting sick birds in order that they don’t inadvertently introduce HPAI to the remainder of their sufferers. Right here’s further guidance for rehabbers, from USDA APHIS. Rehabbers in New York State are additionally inspired to contact the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell College for extra info.
What to do for those who discover a sick or useless chook:
Keep away from dealing with sick or useless birds. As a substitute, name your state wildlife well being company; they’ll decide reason for loss of life and ship the chook to the suitable lab for testing. Moreover, preserve pets (together with pet birds) away from sick or useless wild birds.
- Keep away from contact with birds that seem sick or have died
- Keep away from contact with surfaces which have chook feces
- If you happen to should contact sick or useless birds:
- Put on gloves and a face masks
- Place useless birds in a double-bagged rubbish bag
- Throw away your gloves and facemask after use
- Wash your arms effectively with cleaning soap and heat water
Chook flu is mostly not a threat to meals security. Poultry, meat, and eggs which might be safely dealt with and cooked to an inner temperature of 165°F are fit for human consumption. Pasteurized milk can be secure; nevertheless the avian flu virus has been present in uncooked milk and this shouldn’t be consumed by folks or fed to cats.
If you happen to really feel sick after having contact with sick or useless birds, contact your well being care supplier.
Has Avian Flu Been Reported in Mammals?
There have additionally been studies of mammals corresponding to purple foxes, skunks, bobcats, fishers, and bears contaminated with avian influenza, seemingly from consuming contaminated birds. Exterior the U.S. avian flu has contaminated farmed mink and has triggered losses at marine mammal colonies in South America. In March 2024 the USDA reported that avian flu has been found in cattle in a number of U.S. states. The CDC has extra info on avian flu in cattle and associated risks to humans.
Extra Assets:
Wild chook species with HPAI detections in 2022–2025
Up to date October 14, 2025. Complete variety of detections in wild birds: 13,592 (plus 1,052 captive birds). Detections in passerines: 438. See Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds for up to date detections.
Passerines (27 species)
American Crow (98 people, plus 15 unidentified crow spp.)
American Robin (4)
Barn Swallow (2)
Black-billed Magpie (16)
Blue Jay (4)
Boat-tailed Grackle (1)
Brewer’s Blackbird (7)
Frequent Grackle (13, plus 1 unidentified grackle spp.)
Frequent Raven (55)
Darkish-eyed Junco (3)
European Starling (32)
Fish Crow (12)
Nice-tailed Grackle (17)
Horned Lark (2)
Home Finch (2)
Home Sparrow (127)
Lark Bunting (1)
Lark Sparrow (1)
Lincoln’s Sparrow (1)
Purple-winged Blackbird (2, plus 2 unidentified blackbird spp.)
Savannah Sparrow (4)
Say’s Phoebe (2)
Music Sparrow (5)
Summer season Tanager (1)
Tree Swallow (1, plus 2 unidentified swallow spp.)
Western Kingbird (1)
White-crowned Sparrow (1)
Different Feeder-Related Species (10 Species)
California Quail (7)
Cooper’s Hawk (34)
Eurasian Collared-Dove (8)
Gambel’s Quail (1)
Mourning Dove (7)
Rock Pigeon (88, plus 1 unidentified pigeon spp.)
Ruffed Grouse (1)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (6)
White-winged Dove (1)
Wild Turkey (28)
Different species (141 species)
American Barn Owl
American Black Duck
American Coot
American Goshawk
American Herring Gull
American Kestrel
American White Pelican
American Wigeon
American Woodcock
Arctic Tern
Bald Eagle
Barred Owl
Black Scoter
Black Skimmer
Black Turnstone
Black Vulture
Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Black-crowned Evening Heron
Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-necked Stilt
Blue-winged Teal
Bonaparte’s Gull
Brandt’s Cormorant
Brant
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Pelican
Bufflehead
Cackling Goose
California Condor
California Gull
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Caspian Tern
Cinnamon Teal
Frequent Eider
Frequent Goldeneye
Frequent Loon
Frequent Merganser
Frequent Murre
Frequent Tern
Crested Caracara
Double-crested Cormorant
Dunlin
Eared Grebe
Japanese Screech-Owl
Ferruginous Hawk
Forster’s Tern
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Gadwall
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Shiny Ibis
Golden Eagle
Nice Black-backed Gull
Nice Blue Heron
Nice Egret
Nice Horned Owl
Larger Sage-Grouse
Larger Scaup
Larger White-fronted Goose
Inexperienced Heron
Inexperienced-winged Teal
Harris’s Hawk
Hooded Merganser
Horned Grebe
Iceland Gull (Thayer’s)
Laughing Gull
Lesser Scaup
Lengthy-eared Owl
Lengthy-tailed Duck
Mallard
Merlin
Mottled Duck
Muscovy Duck
Mute Swan
Neotropic Cormorant
Northern Fulmar
Northern Gannet
Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Osprey
Pacific Loon
Parasitic Jaeger
Peregrine Falcon
Pied-billed Grebe
Prairie Falcon
Razorbill
Purple-breasted Merganser
Purple-necked Grebe
Purple-necked Phalarope
Purple-shouldered Hawk
Purple-tailed Hawk
Redhead
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Roseate Spoonbill
Ross’s Goose
Tough-legged Hawk
Royal Tern
Ruddy Duck
Ruddy Turnstone
Sabine’s Gull
Sanderling
Sandhill Crane
Sandwich Tern
Quick-billed Gull
Quick-eared Owl
Quick-tailed Shearwater
Snow Goose
Snowy Egret
Snowy Owl
Snowy Plover
Surf Scoter
Swainson’s Hawk
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Turkey Vulture
Western Cattle-Egret
Western Grebe
Western Gull
Western Sandpiper
Western Screech-Owl
White-faced Ibis
White-winged Scoter
Willet
Wooden Duck
Wooden Stork
