Songbirds are seen in a tree in this file photo. The Pennsylvania Game Commission, along with wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, are investigating numerous public reports of songbirds becoming sick or dying from a presently unknown health condition.
File photo
The Pennsylvania Game Commission, along with wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, are investigating numerous public reports of songbirds becoming sick or dying from a presently unknown health condition.
According to a release issued by the Game Commission on Thursday, they have received more than 70 general public reports across the state of songbirds exhibiting symptoms of this mysterious condition.
The public is being asked to report any sightings of birds showing symptoms like discharge or crusting around the eyes, eye lesions and neurological signs including falling over or head tremors.
The affected birds have been tested for several types of toxins, parasites, bacterial diseases and viral infections; to date, this testing has proved inconclusive.
Reports have come in from 12 different species of birds across 27 counties in Pennsylvania, and additional sightings have come in all across the Mid-Atlantic region, with some sightings extending down into the Southeast and into the Midwest, as well. Initial reports of songbirds displaying signs of this condition were filed in the Washington, D.C. area.
The public is also being encouraged to follow a series of precautionary measures until more is known about the condition. These include:
• Stopping the feeding of birds and providing water in bird baths in order to prevent potential spread between birds and to other wildlife;
• Cleaning feeders and bird baths with a 10% bleach solution;
• Avoiding handling dead or injured wild birds unless absolutely necessary, using disposable gloves if this is the case;
• Keeping pets away from sick or dead birds; and
• Disposing of dead birds in a sealable plastic bag and discarding them with household trash to prevent disease transmission to other birds and wildlife.
Additional information will be provided by the Game Commission and University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine as it becomes available.
