Report Flock

Wild birds

Found dead wild birds?

Wild ducks, geese, gulls and raptors carry avian influenza, often without looking sick. Reports help officials track where it's moving.

USDA Wildlife Services · large die-offs

1-866-487-3297

Also written 1-866-4USDA-WS. Source

Audubon's Mallard Duck: two drakes and two hens among reeds at the water's edge
Robert Havell after John James Audubon, Mallard Duck, 1834. National Gallery of Art.

A few birds on your property

USDA asks you to contact your state wildlife agency or state health department, which may collect and test them. Each state page lists its wildlife agency.

If you have to move one

  1. Gloves on.

    Don't touch it with bare hands. Wear disposable gloves, and a mask if you have one.

  2. Double-bag it.

    Keep it away from pets and your own birds.

  3. Wash up.

    Wash your hands, and change your shoes before you go near a coop.

  4. Watch for 10 days.

    If you get flu-like symptoms, see a doctor and say you handled a dead bird.

Sources: USDA, Found a dead wild bird?, CDC, preventing bird flu.

Keep poultry? Wild birds can carry bird flu to a backyard flock without looking sick. Signs to watch for in your own birds.