Wild geese and ducks drop dead across Kansas, what's the cause?

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas biologists are monitoring reports of wild migrating birds being found dead in multiple parts of the state this month.

Shane Hesting, wildlife disease program coordinator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), told 27 News wild geese are being reported dead or dying in several wetlands and reservoirs across the state. He said his office received these reports all on Dec. 2 with most concerning wild migratory geese species like snow, Canada and Ross varieties in the following areas:

• Glen Elder Reservoir.
• Jeffrey Energy Center.
• Elk City Reservoir.
• Webster Reservoir.
• Kirwin Reservoir.
• Lovewell Reservoir.
• Cheyenne Bottoms.
• Norton Reservoir.

Hesting said he expects to hear similar reports from additional areas in the near future. However, he suspects the main culprit behind these deaths to be the bird flu, also known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and indicates this is not an entirely unusual situation.

"This has been an annual event the last few years," Hesting said. "So far most of the mortality involves juvenile geese, which is not surprising, for that is what this virus tends to kill: juvenile birds and mammals. It does kill raptors that feed on the dead, virus-laden waterfowl carcasses because raptors get a heavy dose of virus during scavenging. Sometimes mortality happens fast to raptors, sometimes slower over a couple weeks."

Hesting said the KDWP is conducting surveillance work in the Arkansas, Kansas and Neosho watersheds this season by taking samples from migratory birds such as geese and ducks. Biologists with the department have noted a large increase in the virus' presence in the state from migrating duck populations.

"Snow geese are bringing it into Kansas now along with the dabbling ducks like teal and Mallards," Hesting said. "This has been the case since 2020. The virus is in the birds and they shed the virus into water as they defecate, exposing more birds. The virus can remain viable in cold water for weeks."

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been monitoring the bird flu this year in light of an increase in human cases of the virus, including a recent case where a child in California became infected. Bird flu has also been detected in dairy cows and dairy workers in multiple states, which caused alarm in early 2024 and continues to cause issues in the industry towards the end of the year.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC posted a warning about bird flu being detected in Kansas dairy cows on March 25, 2024. State departments such as the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recently told 27 News bird flu cases would likely pop up as the fall bird migration season got underway.

"It is my opinion juvenile humans (toddlers thru teens) need to be very careful around sick and dead waterfowl and avoid such if possible at this time," Hesting said. "Poultry producers need to protect their flocks with good biosecurity measures at all times. For certain, never allow wild waterfowl to commingle with domestic birds. Never bring in harvested waterfowl and butcher the birds on site with domestic fowl nearby, and never wear clothes used during waterfowl hunting into a pen with domestic poultry. Keep strangers out of your pen; you don't know where they have been."

Hesting said the mortality estimate for wild snow and Ross' geese is estimated to be around 1-2% at the Jeffrey Energy Center with other areas reporting less than or around 1% mortality. Bird flu can cause a variety of debilitating symptoms to appear in both domesticated poultry and wild waterfowl which can lead to death, according to the CDC.

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