Q&A: How Nova Scotians can help prevent the spread of bird flu

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 06, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Spring is successful the air. That means much birds flocking to Nova Scotia and the hazard of avian influenza (H5N1), commonly known arsenic vertebrate flu.

An estimated 12,000 birds successful Nova Scotia person been impacted arsenic of April 1, according to the national government.

Diane LeBlanc, erstwhile president of the Nova Scotia Bird Society, spoke astir however to bounds the dispersed successful an interrogation with Information Morning Nova Scotia on Friday.

This speech has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Q. We perceive astir the risks of vertebrate feeders spreading diseases. Are these vertebrate feeders a hazard for spreading vertebrate flu?

Yes. The superior occupation with vertebrate feeders is that they stitchery each kinds of antithetic birds unneurotic and that tin beryllium a hazard to birds for avian influenza and different diseases. 

Q. So, if determination are birds that are rather susceptible oregon possibly contaminated, past it starts to dispersed done assorted species?

That's right. The large caveat present is that the emblematic birds that radical spot successful their backyard feeders — the purple finches, goldfinches and opus sparrows — those birds are improbable to get this peculiar strain H5N1 that has been the occupation outbreak since 2021. This avian influenza strain is improbable to impact birds astatine your vertebrate feeders. However, erstwhile you enactment a vertebrate feeder out, you get each kinds of animals. What you get beyond the emblematic feeder birds are ducks, gulls and different h2o birds. Those h2o birds are astatine a overmuch higher hazard of getting avian [influenza].

Q. What astir vertebrate houses? Are they besides risky?

They don't pull arsenic galore birds unneurotic into 1 spot and birds typically are not eating determination truthful there's little likelihood of spreading. Avian influenza is dispersed done saliva and feces. I haven't heard that you shouldn't enactment vertebrate houses up. 

The happening astir feeders is that though it's not a precocious hazard for songbirds, radical request to beryllium truly careful. If you're adjacent a chickenhearted farm, a duck workplace oregon adjacent if your adjacent doorway neighbour has chickens, you don't privation to pull avian influenza into your yard. If it gets tracked from your gait by an carnal oregon by you to your neighbour's yard, it could impact the poultry there. If you person immoderate h2o birds astatine your vertebrate feeder, you should instrumentality your vertebrate feeder down. 

Q. Is the proposal to instrumentality the vertebrate feeder down, particularly if your neighbour has chickens and to cleanable retired the vertebrate houses?

That's precisely right. Take your feeders down. If you're adjacent poultry oregon duck farming you shouldn't person them up. Even successful the wintertime due to the fact that of the hazard of autoimmune illness spreading to those home birds. We perceive a batch of radical say, 'Well, I cleanable my feeders each week.' The occupation isn't astir your feeders oregon your feed, it's really astir the birds gathering together. You tin enactment your provender astir successful the greeting and 1 hr aboriginal person a vertebrate travel that has trichomonosis and they could dispersed it to different birds without you ever seeing it. 

Q. What astir different animals that are attracted to feeders?

There is immoderate hazard of avian influenza spreading to different taxon similar foxes and cats. So if you person a cat, you mightiness truly privation to see if the feline goes outside. There's a hazard that they could declaration avian influenza done your feeders.

Q. You spot radical holding retired their hands with provender for songbirds. Are songbirds harmless to touch?

No. You request a licensed nonrecreational to beryllium capable to grip birds. It looks innocuous, but the champion proposal is to not interaction them astatine all. 

Q. What other should you bash to forestall the dispersed successful nationalist places?

If you locomotion done Point Pleasant Park, you're going to locomotion done duck feces due to the fact that it's everywhere. You privation to marque definite you don't way that. What I would bash is cleanable my shoes truly good and permission my shoes outside. 

Q. Is determination immoderate hazard with vertebrate flu erstwhile swimming astir ducks erstwhile the upwind warms up?

There's been immoderate cases of humans contracting vertebrate flu, but typically it's not spread to humans close now. I'm not acrophobic astir swimming. 

I would conscionable accidental again astir the feet that you mightiness deliberation that you're not tracking it but you person to retrieve this is migration season. Geese tin beryllium successful your gait overnight and they tin beryllium carriers of the vertebrate flu, truthful you conscionable privation to beryllium truly cautious this clip of the year.

You tin study injured, sick oregon dormant birds to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables. That fig is 1-800-565-2224. If you've handled chaotic birds, you tin telephone 811 for advice.