Cornell Cooperative Extension officials are asking area residents to take down their bird feeders to help stop cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is a serious, fatal disease of poultry. Since the beginning of the year, it’s been identified in more than 350 wild birds in 20 states, including New York. New York has also had three cases of HPAI to date in backyard poultry flocks, which resulted in the death of 268 birds.

One way to protect domestic poultry stocks is to take down wild bird feeders for a little while.

While Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is mostly carried by wild waterfowl, research has shown that other wild bird populations can carry it too, especially if they share nesting and feeding grounds with wild waterfowl. These populations include perching birds and songbirds.

“For this reason, we are recommending that folks that feed wild birds should take down their bird feeders until the threat of the disease has passed,” Cornell Cooperative Extension officials wrote in a news release. “It is uncertain as to when it will be safe to put feeders back out, but scientists believe that case loads should decrease over the summer months. The highest risk of spreading the disease is now, during the spring migration. That said, this is a disease of the colder months, and we may see cases spike again during the fall migration.”

For those who have poultry at home, taking down bird feeders is especially important. Additional ways to protect flocks include:

• Keeping a flock away from wild birds, especially wild waterfowl;

• Keeping people who aren’t responsible for poultry care away from a flock; and

• Changing into clean clothing and footwear before dealing with other poultry or areas frequented by wild birds.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza can cause unusual deaths and illness in both wild and domestic birds. Concerns about dead or sick wild birds can be directed to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Unusual whole-flock illnesses or deaths in poultry can be directed to the state Department of Agriculture & Markets at 518-457-3502; the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) at 866-536-7593; or a local Cornell Cooperative Extension Office.