Sick and dead garden birds

A single ill finch is a reason to stop feeding. A dead bird is also a disposal question, and the official page is not this one. Hygiene and the two different pause lengths are in cleaning feeders. This page is who to tell, and what GOV.UK says about small numbers at home.

Signs, from the BTO

On the disease page the BTO describes trichomonosis as difficulty swallowing, laboured breathing, and a swollen throat or neck. Avian influenza is described as a swollen head, watery droppings and neurological signs. They say that since the winter of 2021/22 it has killed large numbers of wildfowl, seabirds and birds of prey. They do not, on that page, call it a common garden-finch disease. You still do not handle a sick bird to decide which it is.

The BTO says treatment is rarely appropriate. A bird that can still get away from a cat may be better left. If you are worried, they suggest a vet, the RSPCA in England and Wales, or the Scottish SPCA. Do not put medicine in the feeder.

Stop the feeder

Both the RSPB and the BTO say stop feeding if you see sick birds, and empty or stop the bird bath. They do not agree how long to wait before you start again: two weeks on the BTO hygiene page, a month on the RSPB feeding page. The cleaning guide quotes both. Report the sick or dead garden bird to Garden Wildlife Health, which the BTO describes as a joint project of the Zoological Society of London, the BTO, Froglife and the RSPB.

Reporting dead wild birds

GOV.UK’s report page (last update noted on the page: 17 May 2024) asks you to use the online service or to phone 03459 33 55 77. The form asks where the birds were, what type, how many, and your contact details. Reports help show where bird flu is and in which birds. Not every dead bird has bird flu, and not every reported bird is collected. The page says do not touch dead wild birds.

The same page’s update log says that on 15 February 2023 the type and number of birds you should report was changed, and that a later update made locations and species groups easier to report. The landing page we opened does not itself print a threshold such as “five birds”. We are not filling that gap with a number from somewhere else. Use the form; it asks how many.

If you think the deaths are wildlife crime, they say tell the police. If you suspect pesticide or rodenticide poisoning, they give the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme on 0800 321 600.

Small numbers at home

GOV.UK’s disposal page says you can report small numbers of dead garden birds to Garden Wildlife Health. At a domestic house you may put a small number in your household or municipal waste, or bury them.

If you use the bin:

1. Pick the bird up with disposable gloves, or with a plastic bag over your hand.
2. Put it in a plastic bag and tie it, without the bird touching the outside.
3. Put that bag, plus the gloves or the bag you used as a glove, into a second bag, preferably leak-proof. Do not touch the outside of the gloves with bare hands.
4. Put it in your outside bin.
5. Wash your hands with soap and water.

If you bury it: at least 60 cm deep, so animals do not dig it up; not in a plastic bag (bin the bag you used to carry it); not near a watercourse or where it could reach a water supply; then wash your hands.

The page distinguishes large numbers, and says bird flu is more likely when many birds die in one place. Report those. If nothing is collected within four days and you want them gone, they say a specialist waste contractor, and that your council may be able to help. You cover the cost. Category 1 animal-by-product rules apply in some cases (an area where bird flu is confirmed, or where you think the birds could be infected). Read that section on GOV.UK if you are dealing with more than a single garden bird. This summary is the domestic small-number steps, not the whole animal-by-product regime.

Do not bring a dead bird to this site’s contact form.

Should I keep feeding the other birds?

No. Take the feeders down when you see illness. How long to wait is the RSPB/BTO difference described in the cleaning guide. Report what you saw to Garden Wildlife Health.

Can I bury a bird in a carrier bag?

GOV.UK says do not bury it in a plastic bag. Put the bag in the outside bin, and bury the bird itself at least 60 cm down, away from water.

Do I phone about one dead robin?

Use the GOV.UK form or the helpline; it asks for the number, and the page says not all birds are collected. Garden Wildlife Health is who they name for small numbers of dead garden birds. We are not adding a cutoff the page did not show.