The Indiana Department of Natural Resources list of counties with sick and dying songbirds continues to grow.
53 of Indiana’s 92 counties have reported the mystery illness as of Friday.
This includes the counties of: 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, Warrick, Washington, Whitley.
According to the DNR website, the species predominately affected are blue jay, American robin, common grackle, starling, northern cardinal, and brown-headed cowbird.
DNR staff has collected samples and submitted them to the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
Final laboratory diagnostic results are pending – the cause or transmission is currently unknown and still under investigation.
In the meantime, the DNR recommends that all Hoosiers remove their birdfeeders, including those for hummingbirds, statewide.
Hoosiers are encouraged to report sick and dead wildlife to the DNR by using the reporting tool at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife
