Iroquois County Public Health starts dead bird collection
WATSEKA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Iroquois County Public Health Department is again asking for help with collecting dead birds throughout the county this summer.
It’s the Health Department’s annual effort to keep tabs on West Nile Virus. Dead birds, officials said, have been the most important indicators of West Nile activity.
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Dead birds will be collected until Oct. 15. People who find them are asked to double bag their bodies in plastic bags (preferably bags that seal) and bring them to the Health Department’s headquarters at 1001 East Grant Street in Watseka.
Perching birds such as crows, blue jays, finches, sparrows and robins are the birds the Health Department is specifically looking for. Blackbirds, bluebirds, catbirds, cardinals, chickadees, starlings and purple martins can also be accepted for testing.
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Birds should only be submitted if they are believed to be dead for less than 24 hours, if their bodies are intact (no decomposition or damage by a scavenging animal) and if they have no obvious cause of death such as a gunshot or vehicular strike.
For more information on the collection of dead birds, contact the Iroquois County Public Health Department at 815-432-2483 or visit the department’s website.
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