Feeding birds and avian Influenza

House finch on feeder with sunflower seeds.  Edmonton, May, 2022.

As an avid birder, I take great pleasure in attracting birds to my backyard to enjoy and photograph.  As many of us "birdos" know only too well, there are problems with the entire process.  Apart from the cost, mess, and effort required to keep the operation going, there is a risk to the birds.  First of all, it attracts predators.  Cats, raccoons, skunks, hawks, and the like line up at the birdie buffet.  The greatest threat, however, comes in the very smallest form.

Avian flu, or influenza, is a disease spread by the H5N1 virus and is very contagious and deadly to birds.  There has been an outbreak of the virus in North America, some areas being hit harder than others.  I found a recent map on this website (click here) and have put a modified copy of it in the space below. The green dots show areas where wild birds have been affected.

I found an excellent article on the All About Birds website which you can read by clicking here.  It seems that all birds are not equally susceptible to the virus.  Read the quote below, taken from the same website, to get a better idea of what I mean by that.

"Although there has been widespread transmission of avian flu to wild bird species including waterfowl and raptors, transmission to songbirds and other typical feeder visitors has been low (less than 2% of all cases reported in wild birds). That means there is currently low risk of an outbreak among wild songbirds."

There is mild concern regarding the transmission of the virus to songbird populations, which is the group targeted in most birdfeeders.  My personal thought is that the risk to such birds is low, but feeders should not be put out in areas where domestic fowl are raised as they are far more susceptible to the illness.  For the average homeowner with a passion for everything with feathers, I think it is a low-risk proposition.

If you do decide to keep feeders, baths, water, and nesting areas available for birds, the best thing you can do is to keep them clean.  Washing plastics and metals with hot water and a bit of bleach will keep these items clean.  After they are cleaned and dried you can fill them with the seed or suet of your choice.  The extra effort significantly reduces the chance of your feeding station becoming a disease depot.

The aforementioned website contains a lot of good information and links to other resources.  Act out of knowledge, not fear.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen.     www.ericspix.com