Avian Influenza

Avian Influenza

  • Do not hand sick or dead birds.
  • Report dead birds, or birds that appear ill, to your local Montan FWP.
  • Wear proper protective equipment if it is necessary to handle sick or dead birds.

Investigation of morbidity/mortality events in wild birds or other species offers wildlife professionals the best opportunity to detect the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. The public is encouraged to report unusual or unexplained cases of sickness and/or death by calling their local wildlife biologist or the wildlife health lab in Bozeman.

Wildlife Health Lab: 406-577-7880 or 406-577-7882

Wildlife health staff will work with local wildlife staff to determine the appropriate response to these reports.

Whenever possible, avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife. Even if a bird is not suspected to have died from a contagious disease, gloves should always be worn if a dead animal must be handled for disposal.

Report any sudden onset of illness or death in your flock.

  • Your local veterinarian
  • Montana Department of Livestock – 406-444-2976

Updated: February 18, 2025

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has very low public health risk. HPAI is being actively managed, and agencies are working together to contain it’s spread. Numbers below are year to date 2025.

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Avian Flu FAQs

Avian Influenza (AI) virus is a naturally occurring virus of birds. AI viruses are classified into two groups, based on the severity of disease they cause in infected poultry. Low pathogenic Avian Influenza viruses (LPAI) generally cause no clinical illness, or only minor symptoms in birds. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) viruses are extremely infectious and fatal to poultry and some species of wild birds.

Human infections with HPAI have generally occurred after close and prolonged contact with infected birds or the excretions/secretions of infected birds.  Different HPAI viruses have infected people in other countries and caused serious illness and death in some cases. 

Although the CDC considers the risk of HPAI spreading to humans to be very low, Montanans should take precautions when handling game birds or any sick or dead bird they find. Click here to visit the CDC’s website for more info. Whenever possible, avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife. Even if a bird is not suspected to have died from a contagious disease, gloves should always be worn if a dead animal must be handled for disposal and wash your hands with soap and water afterwards. 

Find more information from the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. 

Click here for proper PPE information. 

  • Avoid contact with wild birds. Wild birds can carry and be infected with the avian influenza A even if they don’t look sick.
  • If you own any sort of poultry (including backyard chickens, ducks, etc.), be sure to monitor their health closely and report any illness or unknown cause of death.
  • Do not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with saliva, mucous, or feces from wild or domestic birds.
  • If you are contacted by the Montana Department of Livestock, follow all directions regarding care and report any illness or death in your flock.

DO NOT touch any wildlife that appears to be dead or sick.

Investigation of morbidity/mortality events in wild birds or other species offers wildlife professionals the best opportunity to detect the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. The public is encouraged to report unusual or unexplained cases of sickness and/or death by calling their local wildlife biologist or the wildlife health lab in Bozeman.

Wildlife Health Lab: 406-577-7880 or 406-577-7882

Wildlife health staff will work with local wildlife staff to determine the appropriate response to these reports.

Whenever possible, avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife. Even if a bird is not suspected to have died from a contagious disease, gloves should always be worn if a dead animal must be handled for disposal.

Domestic Birds:

Find more information on detecting illness in domestic birds on the Montana Department of Livestock website. Report any symptoms to the Montana Department of Livestock right away!

Montana Department of Livestock: 406-444-2976

Wild Birds: 

Symptomatic birds may exhibit any number of symptoms including respiratory distress, weakness, neurologic impairment (lack of coordination), seizures, and death, but are usually simply found dead. HPAI outbreaks are often characterized by the following:

  • Mortality events involving waterfowl (ducks, geese, or swans) or other water birds (loons, grebes, coots, shorebirds, or wading birds such as egrets, herons, or cranes)
  • More than 5 dead birds at one time in one location
  • Mortality events involving individual raptors or other avian scavengers (ravens, crows, or gulls), particularly those observed near locations with on-going water-bird mortality
  • Mortality events involving any wild bird species that:
    • exhibit neurological signs, seizures, acute death, respiratory distress
    • are found near facilities harboring domestic birds (or wild/captive) in which HPAI has been detected

Avian Influenza | Montana FWP

Cases of H5N1 in humans can range from mild (e.g. eye infection, upper respiratory symptoms) to severe (e.g. pneumonia) and can result in death. Spread of earlier H5N1 viruses from one infected person to a close contact in the past have happened very rarely and have not led to sustained person-to-person spread.

Your state or local health department will ask you to watch for these symptoms:

  • Fever (Temperature of 100°F [37.8°C] or greater) 
  • Feeling feverish/Chills (a fever may not always be present)
  • Cough 
  • Sore throat 
  • Difficulty breathing/Shortness of breath 
  • Eye tearing, redness or irritation 
  • Headaches 
  • Runny or stuffy nose 
  • Muscle or body aches 
  • Diarrhea 

Report any symptoms to your state or local health department right away!

Gallatin City-County Health Department: 406-582-3100

If you had close contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated by them because you are responding to a bird flu outbreak as part of your job, your state or local health department should contact you. If you have not been contacted by your state or local health department after your exposure, contact them as soon as you can so they can help monitor your health.

Gallatin City-County Health Department: 406-582-3100

People who become sick within 10 days of their exposure to infected birds should isolate at home away from their household members and should not go to work or school until they are proven not to have bird flu virus infection and have recovered from their illness. The local or state public health department can assist in monitoring and advising when isolation is no longer required.

Close contacts (family members, etc.) of people who have been exposed to bird flu viruses should monitor their health and report to their health care provider any new symptoms, especially respiratory symptoms, within 10 days of the exposure.

Yes! It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry in the United States. Properly handling and cooking poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses. People should handle raw poultry hygienically and cook all poultry and poultry products (including eggs) all the way before eating. For more information, visit the CDCs website.

H5N1 has been detected in domestic cats in the U.S., with confirmed cases linked to raw milk consumption and an increased risk of severe illness and mortality. Please refrain from feeding domestic pets’ raw milk, scientific evidence links contaminated raw products to severe or fatal H5 bird flu infections in cats. Currently, there is no evidence of cat-to-cat, cat-to-human, or human-to-human spread of H5 bird flu, and the risk to the general public remains low. However, people who come into close contact with animals—especially wild birds and their feces, infected cats, infected poultry, or infected dairy cattle or their milk—face a greater risk of exposure. It is important to take proper precautions.

For more information visit: American Veterinary Medical Association website.

Talk to your veterinarian if you have further questions or concerns. 

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