More eagles, owls dying of bird flu as persistent outbreak circulates in Minnesota

Waterfowl and shorebirds are better adapted to the virus than raptors and other scavengers and can often carry it without symptoms, Franzen-Klein said.

So when the virus kills off large numbers of waterfowl, it typically signals a new mutation that makes it more harmful to its hosts, she said.

Raptors typically get sick by eating or scavenging the infected meat of ducks and geese.

The virus has wiped out some smaller populations of eagles and owls in certain areas, but, overall, raptor populations in the state seem to be holding steady, said Seth Goreham, a wildlife research manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“Since 2022, we’ve seen some localized comments about bald eagles taking a hit,” Goreham said. “Especially over in the Lake Michigan area populations may be down. But we haven’t seen anything in Minnesota, at least, that would indicate there was a major population hit.”

The priority for the monitoring and surveillance of bird flu has centered on poultry and livestock. Since 2022 the flu has either killed or forced the culling of about 150 million domestic birds, including more than 9 million in Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid turkey and chicken farmers more than $2 billion for their losses.