News  Attention bird hunters

What hunters should know about HPAI

An avian flu known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI; H5N1 Eurasian strain) has been detected in domestic and wild birds in Massachusetts, all along the Atlantic coast, and other areas across the country over the past several months. In Massachusetts, while observations of sick and dead birds have substantially declined since peaking in June, state and federal officials continue to monitor the situation.

Avian Influenza is a bird disease that very rarely impacts humans, and only humans that have direct contact with infected birds or their environment are at any risk. Both wild and domesticated birds can become infected with HPAI. Waterfowl, raptors, and scavengers are most at risk for infection, although any bird species should be considered susceptible. Birds may be infected with HPAI without showing any clinical signs. Hunters should dress game birds in the field when possible and practice good biosecurity to prevent any potential disease spread. If possible, wear gloves when dressing birds, and wash hands with soap and water afterwards. Properly handling and cooking poultry at an internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses. Click here for more information on best practices for processing and cooking wild game.

• Click here for more information about avian influenza in Massachusetts.
• Click here for more information about avian influenza from the CDC.

Hunters asked to help common eiders

US states and Canadian provinces along the Atlantic flyway are asking hunters to voluntarily avoid shooting hens and young, “brown” common eiders this season. Following an unusual episode of mortality caused by HPAI this spring, a decline in the number of common eiders is anticipated across the region.

In the spring of 2022, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) struck at some of the largest eider colonies in the St. Lawrence Estuary, causing mortality and nest abandonment. Many of the eiders that breed in Canada migrate south to winter in Massachusetts waters. Massachusetts is also home to a population of local eiders that live here year-round and were impacted by the HPAI outbreak. Hundreds of dead eiders (mostly chicks) were found dead along the Massachusetts coastline this summer, and 18 of these were confirmed to have died from HPAI following testing at federal labs. This number is thought to be a small fraction of the actual number of eiders that succumbed this year to HPAI in Massachusetts. Because of their small clutch size, few eider ducklings are hatched each year and survival of those birds is generally low due to factors such as gull predation and the challenges of our ocean waters. Loss to avian influenza compounds these problems for local and migrant eiders.

In Massachusetts, the daily bag limit is 3 common eiders, of which only 1 is allowed to be female. Hunters can help eider populations rebound by choosing to voluntarily reduce their harvest of common eiders, especially females and young eiders. Hunters from across the region are being asked to participate in this voluntary effort to avoid harvesting females and young eiders. Hunters can easily identify young and female common eiders, as female and young common eiders are brown, while males are white and black.