Avian flu killing Colorado eagles, hawks and owls in record numbers

The deadly, highly pathogenic avian influenza that has caused a spike in chicken egg prices and inflated turkey prices has spread to bald eagles, hawks, owls and thousands of snow geese in the largest outbreak in wild birds the state has seen.

The current outbreak of the virus has heavily impacted domestic poultry operations around the country, including in Colorado, where more than 4.6 million chickens have been killed off at egg-laying operations, the majority of them in Weld County, due to the highly contagious virus, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

On the Eastern Plains, more than 4,500 snow geese have died in the last month, including at least 2,000 each in Morgan and Logan counties. Those counties are located in the migratory waterfowl Central Flyway, where tens of thousands of waterfowl congregate in winter.

And now Colorado Parks and Wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation centers are being overwhelmed with cases of dying raptors.

Mike Tincher, rehabilitation and research coordinator at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins, said in the past month, the center has seen 13 positive cases, with three pending testing results.

"Right now, there is not a whole lot we can do as they either die shortly after they arrive or we humanely euthanize them,'' Tincher said. "And this is just the tip of the iceberg.''

Virus killing wild geese and raptors in numbers never seen before

In the wild, geese, ducks and water birds are the primary carrier of the virus. Some show no signs of the virus while others die from it. Raptors mainly pick up the virus from eating infected geese and ducks or by coming in contact with their infected feces and saliva.

Once that happens and raptors show signs of the virus, the outcome is often death, as there are few treatment options.

Mary Wood, wildlife health program supervisor for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said the virus has caused intermittent outbreaks in domestic poultry but usually the strain is not as virulent as the current outbreak. She said the last outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, in the country was 2015 but that it was largely contained to domestic poultry.

She said the virus has likely mutated and the current strain is more virulent, which is killing wild geese and raptors in numbers never seen before.

"We have seen some pretty big mortality events with snow geese and quite a lot with hawks, eagles and owls,'' she said. "We don't know what the impact might be but there is concern our raptor population won't be able to sustain high losses.''

That is especially true with bald eagles. The state wildlife agency estimates there to be more than 200 pair of nesting bald eagles in the state, including more than 90 on the northern Front Range from Denver to the Wyoming state line. Despite the bald eagle population increasing in recent years, the state still closely monitors them.

A concern now is Colorado bald eagle numbers grow in winter, when they largely feed on geese, which likely will lead to more eagle deaths.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture's website has kept track of confirmed cases of the virus in domestic poultry and wild birds, the first of which was reported in April. As of Dec. 13, it listed 27 raptors statewide that tested positive, though there is lag time in testing results and reporting, and scores of raptors have been tested in recent weeks with results not yet confirmed, according to officials.

Of those cases, 12 were red-tailed hawks, eight were great horned owls, four were bald eagles and three were turkey vultures. In Larimer County, five red-tailed hawks, three great horned owls, one bald eagle and one turkey vulture have been confirmed positive as have a Canada goose and mallard duck.

Tincher and Wood said the number is much higher because of how many raptors have died from the disease but will not be found.

There have been cases of the virus in two backyard domestic non-poultry operations in the county.

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Wildlife officials, rehabilitators overwhelmed with cases

Tincher and Wood acknowledged they are being swamped with reports of raptor deaths due to the virus. They said an overwhelming number of reports combined with limited resources make it difficult to investigate each report.

Tincher said the number of raptors the center is seeing is putting an emotional and financial strain on resources.

He said rehabilitators must wear full Tyvek suits, masks, gloves and eye protection when receiving and testing the birds, and the center is cleaned with disinfectant. Still, there is a concern the center's raptors that are used as educational ambassadors and human rehabilitators may become infected.

The virus is not readily transmissible to humans, but there have been cases, including one during the current outbreak affecting a Colorado poultry employee.

And there is the cost of tests, which range from $25 to $80, Tincher said. The center sends its tests to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

"Right now, we are playing the long game, collecting as much data as possible,'' Tincher said. "The resources to respond to every report, collect all the carcasses, treat and test every bird does not exist.''

Wood said her agency has been and will continue to work with other state and federal governmental agencies collecting data and monitoring the virus's spread. She encouraged the public to be patient as the agency works through large volumes of reports, realizing how difficult it might be for members of the public to see sick and dying birds.

"Managing a disease like this in wild birds is very challenging, and we know we can't eliminate it,'' she said. "But we will look for actions that minimize the spillover to raptors as best we can.''

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How you can help with highly pathogenic avian influenza

If you find birds you believe to be sick, do not pick them up or remove them, as transmission to humans is rare but possible.

If walking outdoors in areas where there is goose or duck feces, remove the feces from your footwear so you do not potentially spread the virus.

If you find three or more dead wild birds in a specific area within a two-week period or you see live birds swimming or walking in circles, appearing lethargic and not escaping if approached, call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Regional Office at (970) 472-4300 or Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins at (970) 484-7756.

For sick birds or birds that have died from unknown causes, call the Avian Health Hotline at Colorado State University at (970) 297-4008.

For multiple sick domestic birds or multiple unusual domestic bird deaths, call the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office at (303) 869-9130 or the USDA-Veterinary Services Colorado Office at (303) 231-5385.

Source: Colorado Department of Agriculture, others

Rocky Mountain Raptor Program open house

The center will hold an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at its facility at 720B E. Vine Drive in Fort Collins.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Avian flu in Colorado killing raptors in numbers not seen before