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During the pandemic, health experts discouraged people from gathering in large groups to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Now wildlife biologists are recommending that bird watchers get involved to prevent birds from congregating in an effort to curb a resurgence in cases of salmonellosis, a deadly, fast-spreading bowel disease, SFGate reports. And that means removing bird feeders and baths from their property. In recent months, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been “inundated” with calls from people who found sick or dead finches on bird feeders, the agency said in a statement. Birds get salmonellosis, which is caused by salmonella, when they ingest food or water, or come into contact with objects contaminated with feces from an infected bird. Most birds die within a day of becoming infected, an avian disease specialist tells Live Science.
Pine siskins, a type of finch, are the most affected. But the disease has also been reported in lesser goldfinches and American goldfinches. In California, reports of infected birds have largely come from the Central Coast, Bay Area and Sierra Nevada communities, authorities say. But there are also reports from all over the country of an “unfortunate number” of birds infected. The News and observer reports that people in North Carolina are being asked to take down their cribs. And the same is true for South Carolina residents, according to the State“Keeping bird feeders clean and removing them temporarily for the next several weeks is something people can do to protect birds,” as they migrate north for the next four weeks, says an expert. number of migrating birds – is the largest in a decade, according to the Audubon Society. (Read more stories about dead birds.)