By Carolina Puga Mendoza

TheStatehouseFile.com 

INDIANAPOLIS—A mysterious illness has infected birds throughout Indiana and surrounding states, and so Hoosiers are recommended to put away their bird feeders in an attempt to slow down the disease.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has been investigating a spike in dead birds throughout the state since May 2021.

According to Allisyn Gillet, a state ornithologist working with DNR, removing bird feeders will help minimize the illness.

“We’re just assuming that it is contagious because we don’t know whether it is or not,” Gillet said. “And so that means we want people to take down their bird feeders so that they do not attract birds to a certain location where they are congregating. This reduces the potential for spread.”

According to Brad Bumgardner, executive director of the Indiana Audubon Society, a birdwatching and conservation organization, said the spread has increased from 15 to 65 Indiana counties. Fox59reports that this has been happening in other states such as Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

“Right now, this time of year, birds are nesting, but 95, even 99% of these birds that are coming to your feeders are feeding their babies caterpillars and insects … None of these guys are really dependent on seeds,” Bumgardner said.

“Bird feeding really truly benefits us more than the birds. It gives us the joy. So, temporarily stopping any feeding right now is not going to have any effect on the birds, and really, people don’t have to worry about that aspect.”

There had been presumptions that cicadas had something to do with the dead birds, but the cases have been reported since May, some as early as April. This year, billions of Brood X cicadas emerged after 17 years, compared to millions in previous years. This kind of cicada had lived underground and their last appearance happened in 2004.

At the moment, researchers are working through the elimination method to figure out what’s affecting the birds.

According to Fox59, birds have tested negative for more than 10 different viruses, and researchers with the DNR will continue to look for the cause of the illness. Gillet said Indiana’s DNR is also working with multiple agencies, including the Ohio DNR and Kentucky DNR, alongside federal groups and the National Wildlife Help Center.

“We have a huge human influence on these birds because of the way that we observe them, and they’re the ones that are typically in our backyards,” Gillet said. “And so it’s important that we know better as to how we’re contributing, perhaps, if we are contributing to the spread, what we can do to prevent that.”

FOOTNOTE: Carolina Puga Mendoza is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.