Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are asking bird watchers and hunters to report sick or dead birds they encounter, as they continue to monitor avian influenza’s presence in the region.
“Avian influenza can affect any bird, but we tend to see it more specifically in waterfowl, along with the family of birds that includes turkeys, chickens and grouses,” said Samara Trusso, the commission’s southwest region wildlife management supervisor.
Pennsylvania appears to be one of the largest centers of bird flu activity at commercial poultry facilities, particularly among egg-laying chicken operations. In the past month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 23 commercial flocks — including 11 in Pennsylvania — affected by bird flu outbreaks.
Of about 8.97 million captive birds affected nationwide, more than 7.1 million are among Pennsylvania flocks. In early February, USDA officials detected bird flu at six locations in Lancaster County, affecting more than 4 million birds.
With bobwhite quail in season, and spring turkey hunting coming up in May, reports of sick or dead birds can be made to 833-742-9453. That gives commission staff the opportunity to recover, study and remove carcasses. Over this winter, staff removed about 2,000 bird carcasses across the state, although the majority of that number came from one large group of snow geese discovered in a Northampton County quarry in late 2025.
“Here in western Pennsylvania, we’re on the western edge of the Atlantic Flyway, and we’re at the very eastern edge of the Mississippi Flyway,” Trusso said.
That means the region doesn’t generally see the massive flocks of snow geese, often numbering in the millions, that pause briefly in large fields and marshy areas of the Mid-Atlantic during their migration.
“We see Canada geese, a variety of ducks and a combination of songbirds and various raptor species moving through,” Trusso said. “But we don’t see the same scale as they do in the eastern part of the state.”
Birds infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza can exhibit neurological signs, such as swimming or walking in circles, tilting their heads in an unnatural position, tremors, seizing or having difficulty flying. Infected birds shed the virus in their feces and saliva.
Among wild birds, game commission officials are seeing the most die-off among waterfowl.
“These animals are congregating during migration, spending time with one another in decent-sized groups where an infection can spread,” Trusso said.
The disease can also spread to other animals, including cows and people. But so far in 2026, no such cases have been reported in the U.S. Since February 2024, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed 71 cases of human infection, and two deaths. None were in Pennsylvania.
But Trusso and the game commission aren’t interested in taking chances.
“We want to make sure that people are not just watching for sick and dead birds to help us collect and catalog carcasses, but we also don’t want to leave infected animals out there if we can help it,” she said. “Spreading to people is rare, but if you’re hunting fowl, you should take precautions and be careful to wear gloves when you’re handling birds, make sure you’re cleaning your knives well, those kinds of things.”
Good hygiene is also recommended in maintaining backyard bird feeders. While avian influenza typically does not affect bird species that frequent bird feeders – and there’s no prohibition on feeding birds during the outbreak – bird feeders and bird baths should be emptied every couple of weeks. The feeders should be washed with soapy water, rinsed, then disinfected with a 10% household bleach solution before refilling (either allow a 10-minute contact time before rinsing or allow to air dry). Any spilled seed should also be cleaned up to mitigate disease spread.
If noticing multiple sick or dead birds over a short period of time, taking feeders down and emptying bird baths helps ensure a potential outbreak is not made worse.
Pennsylvanians who raise captive wild birds, domestic backyard poultry, or are involved in commercial poultry operations, meanwhile, should review their bio-security plans to protect their flocks. The USDA offers free bio-security information on its website.
Any sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852. If you have had contact with sick or dead birds and are not feeling well, contact your primary care physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258.