Hundreds of Birds Getting Sick in Multiple States, Scientists Investigate

Hundreds of birds have died in the South and Midwest while scientists search for an explanation, NBC News reports. Six states and Washington, D.C. have reported increases in sick birds in June.

Blue jays, European starlings, and common grackles have all been affected. Symptoms include crusty eyes, neurological signs of seizures, and imbalance. In addition to Kentucky and D.C., Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia have all reported mortalities.

“We’re experiencing an unusual amount of bird mortality this year,” said Kate Slankard, an avian biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in NBC News. “We have yet to figure out what the problem is. The condition seems to be pretty deadly.”

“We’re all working together as a multistate group to try to figure out what’s going on,” Slankard said. “Diagnosing these problems is complex because several rounds of lab tests must be done.”

Theories for the illness include pesticides, the cicada outbreak, or infectious disease. Hundreds of birds have been found dead. Scientists are asking the public to report any deaths and are recommending that bird feeders and baths should be cleaned immediately.

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Read more news about birds in One Green Planet, including NYC’s new law to protect birds from glass, birds found dead in Rome, Audubon Society’s warning on climate change and birds, the scientists that studied climate change’s effect on birds, how methane gas from landfills harms birds, and why you shouldn’t buy a pet bird.

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