Bird flu killing Iowa wildlife, domestic animals in millions

1 of 6

What a cold morning to take out the trash! The thermometer near the back door was at -10 degrees.

However, there was no wind, and the sun was bright in the clear blue sky. It really did not feel very cold. When I got to the trash container, I looked out over the field to the north fence row, and there he was again. The red-tailed hawk was perched on a branch in a tall silver maple tree.

This majestic bird was looking across the 10-acre field of prairie grass, trying to spot a mouse or vole for its breakfast. He looked very handsome standing upright like a sentry on guard duty with the bright sunlight shinning on his white breast.

I saw the hawk several times this winter, often on the same tree limb. I wished the hawk happy hunting and hurried back into the house to get out the cold.

On the morning of Feb. 25, I saw the hawk again, but it was not a joyous occasion. The bird was wedged in between some flower pots on the patio. It was not there the afternoon before. It was not a pretty sight: it was dead, and it head was twisted at an odd angle, and its open eyes were not focusing. There were no physical injuries on the bird’s body.

I called Mike Havlik, an expert birder at the Dallas County Conservation Department, to see whether he wanted the bird body and to ask him what I should do. From the facts that I gave him, he said the hawk probably died from bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza. No necropsy was done on the hawk on my patio.

Many birds of prey, such as great-horned owls, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks, have been getting sick and dying of bird flu this winter. The bird flu virus continues to mutate and circulate through Iowa’s wildlife, as well as domestic birds. Wildlife biologists also report that there are no signs of this strain of the virus dissipating, unlike bird flu outbreaks in the past.

Other animals are also getting this illness, including mammals, such as red foxes, opossums, raccoons, skunks, and many farm animals as well as dogs and cats.  Cases have also been reported in humans, mostly farm workers who have contracted the disease.

Bird flu is a costly and dangerous disease, infecting and killing millions of birds and causing egg prices to soar.  In normal times, our government would respond very forcefully to address this problem and develop a vaccine, such as was done during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this does not seem to be happening.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has laid off 25% of the staff at the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which coordinates the laboratories that respond to bird flu.  The USDA is having trouble rehiring some of the fired employees, and some of the workers who returned to their offices found their laptop computers missing.  The workers at the USDA are prioritizing their response to bird flu, but the layoffs have jeopardized the research as scientists try to find a cure for the disease.

Contact your elected representative in Washington, D.C., and tell them your concerns about the spread of bird flu.