United States: Since its detection in North America late in 2021, Bird flu has destroyed poultry and dairy facilities while dramatically increasing the US egg prices.
Bird flu has infected over 170 species of North American wild birds, including ducks, geese, gulls, owls, eagles, and other species. Experts recommend that safety measures be taken when dealing with sick or dead wild birds.
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The presence of bird feeders remains permitted even as the bird flu situation develops.
Scientists confirm that low risk currently exists for general human populations despite bird flu transmissions across wild species and various birds, AP News reported.
Since the virus started spreading, the US Agriculture Department (USDA) has confirmed the presence of bird flu in more than 12,000 individual birds.
The federal disease monitoring figures represent only “a gross underestimate” because scientists never analyze almost all bird carcasses through testing, according to Bryan Richards, who leads the US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Moreover, dabbling ducks, like mallards and blue-winged teal, can carry the virus with few symptoms because “these viruses co-evolved in waterfowl,” added Richards.
Bird Flu Crisis Escalates
The virus also spreads through feces and saliva from ducks, which causes disease transmission to additional birds or mammals, including foxes.
What to know about the bird flu outbreak in wild birds and what it means for backyard bird feeders https://t.co/vSTKyXXZeR
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Large bird populations gathered in flocks, such as goose colonies, experience the highest deaths if they lack intrinsic virus resistance.
The outbreak of bird flu infected between 15,000 to 25,000 eared grebes near the Great Salt Lake, as reported by Utah state wildlife officials during the initial weeks of February.
The practice of seabirds roosting together in big numbers leads to high impacts during outbreaks, AP News reported.
According to Michael J. Parr of the American Bird Conservancy, songbirds like Northern cardinals and blue jays, alongside chickadees, may become infected and die, although their populations seem to survive better because birds do not cluster in big groups, enabling virus transmission.