Oregon wildlife officials report growing numbers of waterfowl with bird flu across the Willamette Valley

Officials with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife say migratory ducks and geese are showing signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The majority are being reported in the Willamette Valley.

Julia Burco is a veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. She told KLCC that an HPAI-infected bird may be lethargic, unable to fly, shake its head, swim in circles, or have cloudy eyes.

“They’re pretty non-responsive,” she added. Burco said, so far, her staff have fielded calls and emails for hundreds of infected or dead birds. Most of the affected waterfowl are cackling geese, relatives of Canada geese. HPAI-infected birds may appear in unusual areas, including people’s yards or streets.

“If there’s a dead one and it needs to be removed from the area, we do suggest people not touch it directly,” said Burco. “Wear a mask and gloves when doing so. So those can be double-bagged and either put in the garbage, they can be incinerated. If you don’t need to touch it, we’d advise not touching it.”

People are encouraged to report groups of dead birds, but not to bring them in. The public can report these to the ODFW lab by calling 866-968-2600 or emailing them at wildlife.health@odfw.oregon.gov. They add that given the high volume of reports, lab staff may not be able to call people back.

While the risk to humans is low, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been 74 U.S. cases of people with avian influenza, and three deaths.

“There have been a few mortalities, and that’s the people that have close contact with infected animals,” Burco explained. “And they’re immunocompromised or have some medical issues going on.”

People who handle birds in cattle or poultry processing plants are potentially at risk. And pets like cats and dogs could get infected if they eat the carcass of an HPAI-infected bird.

The ODFW says people should immediately report dead or sick domestic birds such as chickens and turkeys to the Oregon Department of Agriculture by calling 503-986-4711 or 800-347-7028.

Copyright 2026, KLCC News.

Brian Bull is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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