State and federal wildlife experts and rehabilitators in the United States are now investigating a litany of reports on dying songbirds in at least 6 mid-Atlantic and central states, including Delaware.
Reports first emerged in Washington D.C., and the disease are believed to have been spreading like wildfire, as wildlife agencies throughout the Mid-Atlantic and into the Southeast and Midwest have been receiving similar reports.
Belinda Burwell, a veterinarian who founded the group Wildlife Veterinary Care in Virginia, described what the experts saw, saying, “Sometimes the (birds’) eyes were swollen or they were crusted,” She also believes the birds have neurological symptoms like dizziness, “they would wing their head very slowly back and forth.”
While several species of birds, namely blue jay, European starling, common grackle, American robin, northern cardinal, house finch, house sparrow, and some other uncommon species have been affected by that mystery illness, experts are now saying congregating birds may have contributed to the illness’ spread.
“I think what’s especially challenging about this is that it’s not localized to one specific geographic area (and) it’s not localized to one particular bird species.” Said Lisa Murphy, associate professor of Toxicology at the University of Pennsylvania school of Veterinary Medicine.
As a simple rule of thumb, scientists are now asking the affected birds to be euthanized, instead of letting them convalesce, because a clear picture of what’s happening is not available as of yet, and that it is always prudent to euthanize sick birds, in an effort to curb the spread of the illness.
Experts say time will tell whether they can figure out what’s killing those birds, because it is like solving a puzzle.
Suffice it to say, adults should make sure children and pets keep sick birds at arm’s length, and avoid attracting birds and handling sick or dead birds which might have fallen victim to the illness. Experts also suggested people should move the dead or sick birds with gloves on, and clean the area with a 10% bleach solution.
As of now, according to scientists, this outbreak is not related to salmonella poisoning of finches reported earlier this year.
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