How to Report Bird Flu: Who, Where, and What to Share

If you're looking at sick or dead birds right now and wondering whether this is bird flu, here's the short answer: stop, don't touch anything, and report it today. The reporting process is faster and simpler than most people expect, but the right contacts depend on whether you're dealing with wild birds, backyard or farm poultry, or a possible human exposure. This guide walks you through every scenario so you can make the right call in the next few minutes.

When should you actually report it?

You don't need a confirmed diagnosis to report. Suspicion is enough, and that's intentional. Authorities want early reports because avian influenza (bird flu) spreads fast in flocks and wild populations, and wild birds can carry the virus without looking sick at all. Waiting for certainty costs critical response time.

Run through these quick checks. If any of them apply, report the same day:

• You found one or more dead wild birds with no obvious cause (trauma, predator attack, etc.), especially waterfowl, shorebirds, or raptors.
• Multiple birds in the same area are sick or dying within a short time window.
• Your backyard flock, farm flock, or any commercial poultry operation has unexplained deaths or a sudden drop in egg production.
• You (or someone you know) had direct contact with sick or dead birds and are now experiencing fever, cough, or eye redness (conjunctivitis). These are the human symptoms CDC has documented in confirmed cases.
• You're in or near a known outbreak area and noticed anything unusual with local birds.

One important framing note: you don't need to be a farmer or wildlife professional to report. Any member of the public who spots an unusual bird die-off should call it in. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explicitly says to report bird mortalities to your state wildlife agency immediately so they can investigate and test. That's a public responsibility, not just a professional one.

Who handles bird flu reports?

There's no single national hotline that covers everything, so understanding which agency handles which scenario saves you time. The system is split roughly into three lanes: wild birds, domestic/farm birds, and human health concerns.

Wild birds

Your state wildlife management agency (sometimes called the state Department of Natural Resources or Fish and Wildlife) is your first call for sick or dead wild birds. They coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for federal surveillance and can dispatch trained responders to collect samples without you needing to touch anything.

Domestic and farm birds

For backyard flocks, farm poultry, or commercial operations, you need two contacts: your state's animal health official (often under the state Department of Agriculture) and USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service). APHIS Area Veterinarians in Charge are the federal endpoint for diagnosed or suspected nationally listed reportable animal diseases, which avian influenza is. Your state vet and APHIS typically coordinate once a report comes in, so starting with either one works.

Human exposure or illness

If a person may have been exposed to infected birds or is showing symptoms, your state health department is the right first contact. Under CDC interim guidance, state health officials are responsible for investigating potential human HPAI A(H5N1) cases and must notify CDC within 24 hours of identifying a case under investigation. So the state department handles your report and escalates to CDC as needed. You don't need to call CDC yourself as a first step, though their contact information is publicly available if you want guidance directly.

Special locations

If you spot sick or dead birds in a national park, report to the park ranger or visitor center staff first. They have internal protocols for notifying animal health professionals and APHIS from there. Similarly, if you're a veterinarian or diagnostician, WOAH (the World Organisation for Animal Health) expects you to report suspicions promptly to the Veterinary Authority in your country without waiting for lab confirmation.

Where to report and which numbers to use

Because reporting channels are state-specific in the U.S., the exact number or web portal depends on where you are. Here are concrete examples to show you what to look for in your own state, plus national fallbacks.

A few real-world examples: California's Department of Food and Agriculture runs a dedicated hotline at 866-922-BIRD (2473) for an unusual number of sick or dead birds. Indiana DNR takes sick or dead wildlife reports at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife and also has a healthy bird hotline at 1-866-536-7593 for flock questions. Massachusetts has a dedicated disease reporting form through MassWildlife's online system. Every state has something similar. If you search your state name plus 'report sick birds' or 'avian influenza hotline,' you'll find it within a minute or two.

Outside the U.S., the routing is similar: start with your national or provincial agriculture and veterinary authority for animal events, and your national public health agency for human exposure concerns. In Canada that's the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for poultry and the Public Health Agency of Canada for human cases. In the UK it's the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). WHO plays a role at the international level but is not a direct reporting channel for the general public.

Choosing the right office fast

If you're unsure which agency to call first, use this decision shortcut: ask yourself what type of animal is involved and whether any humans are at risk.

1. Wild birds only, no human contact: call your state wildlife agency.
2. Farm or backyard poultry, no human illness: call your state Department of Agriculture animal health division. They'll loop in APHIS.
3. A person had direct contact with sick/dead birds and is symptomatic: call your state health department first. Also advise the person to avoid further contact with birds and other people until assessed.
4. You're not sure which category applies: start with your state Department of Agriculture. They can redirect you within a single call.
5. It's after hours or you can't reach anyone: many state wildlife and agriculture agencies have 24-hour emergency lines. Search the agency name plus 'emergency' or 'after hours.' USDA APHIS also has emergency contacts listed on its website.

The key principle here is don't overthink the routing. A misrouted call to the wrong state agency still gets picked up and redirected. What matters more is making the call today rather than waiting until you've figured out the perfect channel.

What to tell them when you report

Good information makes the difference between a report that gets triaged quickly and one that sits in a queue. Before you call or fill out a web form, take a few minutes to gather these details. You don't need all of them, but the more you have, the faster investigators can respond.

• Your contact information: name, phone number, and email so they can follow up.
• Exact location: GPS coordinates if you have them, or the closest address, intersection, landmark, or park name. Be as specific as possible.
• Date and time: when you first noticed the birds, and whether the situation is ongoing or you found them after the fact.
• Species if known: waterfowl (geese, ducks), raptors (hawks, eagles, owls), chickens, turkeys, etc. 'I don't know the species' is a perfectly acceptable answer.
• Number of birds: an estimate is fine. 'Around 10 dead Canada geese in a 50-foot stretch of shoreline' is much more useful than 'a bunch of dead birds.'
• Condition of the birds: are they dead, visibly ill, unable to fly, seizing, or showing neurological signs? Any visible lesions or discharge?
• Proximity to poultry operations: are there any farms, backyard flocks, or live bird markets nearby?
• Any human contact: did anyone touch the birds? If so, were gloves used? Has anyone developed symptoms (fever, cough, eye irritation)?
• Photos: take photos from a safe distance before you call. Don't get close enough to touch. Photos of the birds, the location, and any visible symptoms are genuinely useful for investigators.

When you're on the phone, lead with the most critical details: location, number of birds, and whether any human exposure occurred. The investigator will guide you through the rest. If you're using an online form, fill in every field you can and upload your photos.

One thing to be explicit about: do not handle the birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state guidance consistently say to leave them in place for trained responders to collect. If for some reason you must have contact (for example, you're a licensed wildlife rehabilitator), use impermeable gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterward, and change your clothes before any contact with domestic poultry or pet birds.

What happens after you report

Here's roughly what to expect once your report is in, because understanding the next steps helps you know whether you need to follow up or wait.

For wild bird reports, your state wildlife agency will assess the situation and, if the die-off meets certain criteria (size, species, location), they'll dispatch trained responders to collect samples and send them to a diagnostic lab. You may or may not hear back directly, especially if no human exposure was involved. If you gave your contact information, some states will send a follow-up message. In confirmed outbreak zones, access to affected areas may be restricted temporarily to protect both human health and domestic bird populations nearby.

For farm or poultry reports, the response is faster and more structured. State animal health officials and APHIS investigators will typically contact the flock owner within hours to begin an investigation. If avian influenza is suspected, strict biosecurity measures and quarantine protocols kick in while samples are sent for testing. This process is taken seriously: WOAH requires national veterinary authorities to provide official confirmation through standard report forms, and that process starts with your initial call.

P|For human exposure reports, your state health department will assess the risk level based on your specific exposure details. CDC guidance establishes that state officials must investigate potential human HPAI A(H5N1) cases and notify CDC within 24 hours of identifying a case under investigation. If you or someone else had significant exposure, the health department may recommend antiviral medication (oseltamivir, commonly known as Tamiflu), monitoring for symptoms for up to 10 days, and in higher-risk situations, infection control precautions including PPE. If you're worried about what counts as a meaningful exposure, that's worth a separate conversation with your state health department or doctor. what to do if you think you have bird flu go into that risk assessment in more detail.

If you don't hear back within a business day or two and you're genuinely concerned (especially if there's a human health angle), it's entirely reasonable to follow up. Call the same number, reference your report, and ask for a status update. Agencies handling large die-offs can get busy during active outbreaks, and a polite follow-up call is appropriate. If you're tracking who handles bird flu monitoring at a national and international level, that falls to organizations like CDC, USDA APHIS, and WOAH, which coordinate surveillance data across reporting jurisdictions.

The most important thing you can do right now is make the report without delay. Early notification is what gives investigators the window to contain spread, protect commercial flocks, and catch any potential human cases before they escalate. You don't need expertise to report, you just need to make the call.