4 snowy owls have died of bird flu in Massachusetts. But that toll may grow

Bird flu has claimed the lives of at least four snowy owls in Massachusetts in recent weeks, adding the graceful white and black-patterned predators to its victims as it sweeps through the wild bird population.

Three of the owls were found in Duxbury, on the South Shore, and a fourth was recovered about 50 miles away, on the North Shore in Newburyport, all between late January and early February, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Preliminary tests revealed the owls had contracted bird flu, also known as avian influenza, an illness pervasive in wild birds worldwide that has spread to wild and some domestic bird populations, as well as some other animals, in the United States.

While its risk to humans remains low, bird flu outbreaks at some American farms have forced farmers to slaughter whole populations of chickens, driving egg prices skyward.

In Massachusetts, the bird flu has revealed itself in populations of dead geese, other water birds and now snowy owls.

“Snowies” hold a special place in the hearts of many Bay State residents and bird lovers.

They migrate south from their breeding grounds in the Arctic each winter, seeking habitats that resemble their tundra home: flatlands with low plants, grasses and a ready supply of small mammals and other birds to eat, according to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Many take to the open expanse of Logan International Airport in Boston, which, according to the Audubon, has the largest known concentration of snowy owls in Northeast America from their arrival around November through April.

“They fly 3,000 miles to get here,” Norman Smith, the Audubon’s specialist on raptors, said. In 44 years of studying snowy owls, he has captured and relocated more than 900 to areas safer for them than the side of an airfield.

“Each one of these birds is as exciting as the first one I ever saw,” Smith said.

Snowy owls and other birds of prey that feast on wild waterfowl, which carry bird flu, are especially susceptible to the disease.

Smith knew of nine snowy owls that died of bird flu in Massachusetts in 2022, when American officials detected the first signs of infection in wild birds since 2016.

“We haven’t seen any cases in snowy owls since then,” he said. Until this winter.

The total number of wild bird infections or deaths from the disease is difficult to assess, and the death toll among snowy owls and other birds could rise as more are found and tested.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about this and what the impacts are and how it affects the overall population,” Smith said.

Emily Stolarski, a MassWildlife spokesperson, said evidence suggests bird flu is widespread in wild birds across the state. Reported cases are decreasing, but the disease “is likely present even in places where there has not been a confirmed positive,” she said.

The four snowy owls were found between Jan. 27 and Feb. 6, according to MassWildlife. After preliminary testing confirmed their infection with bird flu, officials initiated stronger confirmatory tests that can take several months.

Smith said great horned owls, a red-tailed hawk, a northern harrier, a Cooper’s hawk, and a peregrine falcon were also being tested for bird flu. One great horned owl found near Duxbury Beach also tested positive.

A snowy owl was also found dead on a frozen section of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island last month, but because of its location on the ice, the bird could not be retrieved and tested for bird flu, according to the Providence Journal.

A bald eagle spotted in Shrewsbury last week was euthanized after testing positive for bird flu. The eagle had been moving its head suddenly and erratically, a sign of a possible infection. It was taken to a local wildlife clinic, where a test confirmed the disease, forcing naturalists to put the bird down.

“It’s pretty sad,” Smith said. “You think you’re helping these birds out and along comes something new.”

In mid-January, state officials said bird flu was also suspected of killing more than 60 Canada geese, swans and other birds found in Plymouth. In the weeks prior, smaller outbreaks, where bird flu was suspected of killing 15 or fewer geese, were reported in other parts of the state.

Members of the public who spot dead birds of prey, such as eagles, falcons or owls, should report their observations on MassWildlife’s website — even if they spot only a single bird, the agency advised. Officials also said to report sightings of five or more sick or dead birds of other species.

Sick or dead domestic birds and poultry can be reported to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources by calling 617-626-1795.

Bird flu has infected some other animals, including cows in 16 states. On Wednesday, the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford reported the death of one of its harbor seals from bird flu, likely through contact with an infected wild bird.

In rare cases, the disease has reached humans, but the public health risk to people remains low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In January, the CDC announced the death of a Louisiana resident who had previously been hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu, the first known person in the U.S. killed by the disease.

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