Songbird sickness, deaths now reported in 53 Indiana counties
NDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two additional central Indiana counties and another in southern Indiana have been added to the growing number of places reporting sick and dying songbirds, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said Friday.
Reports of sick and dying birds now include 53 of Indiana’s 92 counties, an increase of three since Wednesday and eight since Monday. The three counties added are Grant, Randolph and Warrick.
Natural Resources has recommended all bird feeders statewide be taken down as state officials are unclear what’s causing the sickness and deaths. Birds tested by the state were found negative for avian influenza and West Nile virus. The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University is awaiting diagnostic results.
DNR says blue jay, American robin, common grackle, starling, northern cardinal and brown-headed cowbird are the primarily birds reported.
The 53 counties reporting sick and dying birds are Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Ohio, Orange, Parke, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Shelby, Starke, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe, Union, Vanderburgh, Washington, Warrick and Whitley.