IL Residents Shouldn't Use Bird Feeders, Baths Due To Avian Flu: DNR

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois residents who have bird feeders or birdbaths at their homes are being asked to remove them through the end of May due to the spread of the avian flu that has affected the state’s wild bird population.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources issued the guidance Thursday as state officials continue to monitor the spread of the bird flu. Cook County forest preserve officials recently discovered 200 dead birds that had been affected by the avian flu at a forest preserve near Barrington, and the state’s first cases of the avian flu were detected last month in three Canada geese in Will County.

Nationally, officials said 23 million birds have been destroyed because of the bird flu this year, in the largest outbreak since 2015.

Although the DNR has not reported any cases of the avian flu among songbirds that would populate residential bird feeders and birdbaths, officials are recommending that residents stop placing bird feed in the feeders and making the birdbaths available until the spread of the bird flu has ceased.

Officials said that during the springtime months, wild birds have ample food sources available to them; and the DNR warns that waterfowl that could be subjected to the avian flu might visit residential feeders or birdbaths.

Domestic poultry and wild waterbirds, including bald eagles, have also been found to have been infected by the virus.

The DNR also made the following recommendations:

• Residents should clean and rinse bird feeders and baths with a diluted bleach solution (nine parts water to one part bleach) and put away or clean weekly if they can’t be moved away from birds.
• Residents should remove any birdseed at the base of bird feeders to discourage large gatherings of birds or other wildlife.
• Residents should avoid feeding wild birds in proximity to domestic flocks.

If five or more dead wild birds are seen in one location, an Illinois DNR district wildlife biologist should be contacted. Contact information for district wildlife biologists can be found online. U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services also may be contacted at 866-487-3297.

Illinois DNR officials also ask that all dead or sick bald eagles be reported to the agency.

Related: 150 Eagles Killed In IL, Other States: Company Pleads Guilty

When disposing of any dead wild birds, residents should wear rubber gloves and a mask, and the carcass should be double-bagged in sealed plastic bags, officials said. The bags can be buried away from scavengers or placed in the garbage if approved by the local waste service provider.

Anyone handling dead birds should thoroughly wash their hands and any clothes or tools with soap and water following disposal.