Observation: Well this bird showed up at my house from 3 young girls, they stated: this bird was flying and just dropped dead, they provided it using a lid and I still have this in the bag. This bird came from uptown in St Mary's. This is important for the for the health of other wildlife and our community members.
LEO says: Thank you Charles for sharing this observation, and thanks to the girls for being alert and bringing this bird in. This looks like a black-capped chickadee. With the spring migration underway and avian influenza worries in the Lower 48, local bird observations are especially important. We have forwarded this post onto Andy Ramey with the USGS Alaska Science Center. Andy gave a presentation last month to the LEO Network about avian mortality events. We credit this presentation for raising awareness about bird illness, and the caution now being exercised by LEO Network Member.
Alaska Science Center Consult: Andy Ramey, Research Wildlife Geneticist writes, "An observation of a bird falling out of the sky is indeed an unusual circumstance and therefore I very much appreciate the report by Charles from St. Mary's. Based on the description/photos it doesn't sound as though there are any obvious lesions or signs of trauma indicating a likely cause of death. Chickadees, and songbirds in general, have not been associated with outbreaks of avian influenza and avian cholera that have caused recent mortality events in the lower 48 United States and the observation of only a single dead bird is not suggestive of an outbreak type situation. Regardless, I contacted the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin (608-270-2480) and discussed Charles' report with the field epidemiology team. Based on the species involved, observation of only a single dead bird, and lack of reports of recent outbreaks of avian pathogens in Alaska, the epidemiology team believes that there is probably a low likelihood of this observation being evidence of a disease-related outbreak at this time. I would encourage Charles and others living around St. Mary's to be watchful for any additional sick or dead birds in this same general area in the days ahead. If we receive additional reports of sick/dead birds, then I will follow up with the national diagnostic lab and discuss shipping of specimens for testing." USGS Alaska Science Center is also tracking bill deformities in black-capped chickadees and other forest birds. More information about these beak deformities and a location to post sightings of these birds can be found at the Alaska Science Center, USGS.
LEO Update: The bird was sent to Anchorage for an inspection by USGS.
Alaska Science Center Consult: (2015-04-23) Andy wrote, "Dr.Colleen Handel, our resident expert on chickadees, has examined the bird you sent and didn't find any obvious signs of injury, malnutrition, or disease. Given this finding and only a single report of a dead chickadee in the region, we do not feel as there is any evidence of an avian disease outbreak at this time. We thank you very much for your observation though and your efforts to send us this bird. Tissues from this chickadee will be collected and used as part of ongoing research Colleen is conducting on the health of chickadees and other landbirds here in Alaska. If Colleen finds anything unusual or otherwise interesting with regard to this specimen as part of her work with contaminants, parasites, etc..., we will let you know." Andy Ramey, USGS, Alaska Science Center. Click here for Andy's presentation, Avian pathogens, the flu, and how diseas in birds may pertain to you on Mar 24, 2015, an ANTHC-HUB Leo Network webinar.
Resource:
National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) (2014-12-16) Wildlife Health Bulletin 2014-2015, Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses H5N2 and H5N8 in Wild Birds of the United States, "This Bulletin provides information on the current situation regarding the recent detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) H5N2 and H5N8 in wild and captive birds in the United States." Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Alaska Department of Fish and Game – Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus) "Active, acrobatic and agile with a perky cheerful air, the chickadee is one of the most widely recognized birds in Alaska forests. The black-capped chickadee is one of four chickadee species that occurs in the state and has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, soft gray back, wing feathers gray edged with white, and soft buffy-colored underparts grading to white in the center. Chickadees are specially adapted to endure Alaska's rugged winters. They have much denser, better-insulating plumage than other songbirds their size and a special ability to put on fat quickly. Birds burn fat as fuel to keep themselves warm in winter. A chickadee can put on eight percent of their body weight in fat each day. Chickadees are also able to drop their body temperature at night in order to conserve their winter fuel." Source: ADF&G Species Profile
Observations From Members