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While it is far from a universal recommendation, over the past month we've begun to see advice from some local Health Departments, and Wildlife Departments, to take down bird baths and feeders due to the (currently low, but not zero) risk of HPAI H5.
On December 23rd, the LA County Health Department issued a statement on that county's first confirmed case, which included the following advice:
Best Practices to Reduce Risk for the General Public
Public Health encourages residents to follow these best practices:
- Avoid Raw Dairy and Undercooked Meat Products: Do not drink raw milk or eat raw cheeses and undercooked meat products. Do not feed these to your pets.
- Limit Contact with Animals: Avoid unprotected contact with sick or dead animals or birds or any materials contaminated with bird feces. Avoid handling wild birds and observe them only from a distance. If you have to handle wild birds, even if they appear healthy, wear a well-fitting mask and gloves, and practice good hand hygiene, as some birds may carry the virus without showing symptoms.
- Report sick or dead birds: Contact your local animal control agency if you see sick or dead birds. Symptoms can vary; infected birds or animals may be unable to fly, have seizures, have difficulty walking or be found dead.
- Protect pets or poultry: Keep pets or poultry away from wild animals and birds. Ensure that wild birds cannot defecate into areas holding or housing pet birds or poultry.
- Remove Bird Feeders and Baths: Take down bird feeders and communal bird baths to reduce the risk of the virus spreading from bird-to-bird.
- Get a Seasonal Flu Vaccine: Everyone should receive a seasonal flu vaccine. While this vaccine does not prevent avian influenza infection, it can reduce the risk of getting sick with human and bird flu viruses at the same time.
This past week, the Texas Wildlife Department issued similar advice (see below).
Jan. 9, 2025Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030
AUSTIN — Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed by preliminary test results in multiple domestic ducks recovered at the pond on the NE corner of the Arboretum Blvd and 360 Capital of Texas Highway intersection in northwest Austin.
Disease experts indicate HPAI is circulating among wild birds in Texas as waterbirds and waterfowl visit their wintering grounds.
Widespread detections have occurred across Texas with most recent findings in Wharton, Galveston, El Paso, Potter and Harris counties.
Detected in all states across the U.S., HPAI is a highly contagious virus that transmits easily among wild and domestic birds. It can spread directly between animals and indirectly through environmental contamination.
Because of the ease of transmission, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) recommends wildlife rehabilitators remain cautious when intaking wild animals with clinical signs consistent with HPAI and quarantine animals to limit the potential for HPAI exposure to other animals within the facility.
The public can assist in interrupting HPAI transmission by limiting all unnecessary contact with wild birds, including not feeding or causing waterfowl to congregate in parks. To help combat this outbreak, it is recommended that all bird feeders and bird baths be taken down as these allow birds to congregate and spread disease easily to each other. Do not handle any sick or dead wildlife or allow any pets to consume any wild carcasses.
Additionally, game bird hunters should consider precautions such as:
Currently, the transmission risk of avian influenza from infected birds to people remains low, but the public should take basic protective measures if contact with wild animals cannot be avoided. The public and health care professionals can find more information about HPAI in humans from the Texas Department of State Health Services. If you had contact with an HPAI-positive or suspect animal and develop signs of illness, immediately contact your health care provider and let them know about the exposure.
- Disposing carcasses properly
- Wearing gloves when processing
- Avoiding consumption or processing of any sick bird
- Cleaning and disinfecting tools between carcasses
- Cooking meat to proper temperatures
If you encounter a wild animal with signs consistent with HPAI, contact your local TPWD wildlife biologist.
In the fall of 2022 the California Audubon Society urged Backyard Birders to Empty Bird Baths and Feeders as Avian Flu Spreads, but the the US Fish & Wildlife Service has an avian flu page which takes a different view.
Feeding Birds
- Bird feeders are unlikely to result in increased spread of avian influenza since the species of bird that tend to come to feeders are not commonly infected.
- However, feeders do concentrate passerines and increase the risk of transmission of other infectious diseases that do impact their health, including salmonella, E. coli and mycoplasma.
- Creating natural spaces that attract birds to the cover and food provided by native vegetation appropriate to the location is far healthier than feeders
Recently we've seen an increase in the range of avian species susceptible to H5N1.
While it used to be primarily waterfowl and gallinaceous birds, we are now seeing passerines (including songbirds) and other orders being affected (see Prevalence of Avian Influenza Virus in Atypical Wild Birds Host Groups during an Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Strain EA/AM H5N1).
Obviously, there isn't a consensus on this topic right now.
But given the small, but growing, number of human H5 cases without a known exposure, it may be worth going the extra mile to avoid exposure to birds right now.
