Disease Attacks Birds At Backyard Feeders

By Dan Shapley News Editor People who feed birds with backyard seed feeders may be unwittingly abetting a deadly disease, salmonellosis. An outbreak in Washington state prompted state wildlife officials to warn residents against feeding birds unless they can commit to washing bird feeders daily with a solution of 10 parts water to one part bleach, and taking other sanitary precautions. There''s no indication that there are outbreaks of the disease elsewhere in the country, but no federal agency tracks outbreaks and many can go unreported or unrecognized, said Krysten Schuler, a wildlife ecologist for the National Wildlife Health Center. “It''s one of those diseases that you get in a lot of backyard birds, and you might not see large die-offs from it so it''s very difficult to track,” she said. Birds may not die all at once in spectacular numbers, but the disease is a common cause of death among some of the most common and beloved backyard birds – like finches, grosbeaks and pine siskins. “It''s easy enough to just put a feeder up, but people need to realize there''s a responsibility that goes with it,” said Kristin Mansfield, a Fish and Wildlife veterinarian for the state of Washington. “When you''re having an outbreak like this, it''s probably better just to take them down so we don''t do more harm than good to the birds.” For tips about preventing disease at your feeder, click here. Related Stories Common Birds In Drastic Decline List Of 20 Common Birds In Decline 'I Saw The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker' West Nile Virus Killing Backyard Birds Four Things You Can Do To Help The Birds