Skip to content

Garden bird health · a free guide

A poorly bird in the garden?

How to spot the common signs of illness, what to do today, and who to tell. You do not need to know which illness a bird has: the first steps are the same whichever it is.

The facts come from Garden Wildlife Health, the BTO, the RSPB, the UK governments and published research, gathered in one place and checked on 2 October 2026. We are not connected to any of them. This is not veterinary advice.

Email it

If you see a sick bird today

  1. 1

    Do not pick it up if you can avoid it.

    If the bird can still fly away, leave it alone. If it cannot, ring a vet or a wildlife rescue (see Who to tell). Government advice is not to touch or pick up a visibly sick wild bird, and to keep pets away from it. If you really must move it, wear gloves or pick it up through a plastic bag turned inside out, and wash your hands afterwards.

    From Garden Wildlife Health, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, GOV.UK

  2. 2

    Take a photo with the zoom if you can.

    A clear picture can help the experts, and you can add it to your report to Garden Wildlife Health.

    From Garden Wildlife Health

  3. 3

    Take your feeders down and empty the bird bath, especially if more than one bird looks ill.

    Garden Wildlife Health says to leave them down for at least two to four weeks after you last see a sick bird, so the birds spread out instead of gathering in one place. The BTO says at least two weeks and the RSPB at least three. Then bring food back slowly and keep watching. It is what the experts advise, though nobody has yet measured how much it helps.

    From Garden Wildlife Health, BTO, RSPB

  4. 4

    Clean everything, wet first, gloves on.

    Feeders, the bath and the ground underneath. Wetting surfaces first cuts down the dust from dried droppings, which is how one of these illnesses can reach people. Cleaning keeps you safer, but on its own it will not stop an outbreak: even daily cleaning does not stop healthy birds eating food a sick bird has brought back up.

    From Garden Wildlife Health, BTO, RSPB

  5. 5

    Tell Garden Wildlife Health.

    After you register a free account, their online form takes less than 15 minutes and you can add photos. Reports go into the national record of what is making garden birds ill.

    From Garden Wildlife Health

A sign you may see

Lumps and scabs on the face

  1. 1. Small lumps appear

    Pink or grey warty bumps beside the eye or the beak.

  2. 2. The eye crusts over

    The growths can get bigger, and the surface can dry to a scab. While the eye is covered, the bird cannot see out of that eye.

  3. 3. The scabs drop off

    Birds that recover usually have no mark. In one study, 15 of the 104 sick great tits were caught again later with no lesions, and all but one of those 15 had no visible scar.

Warty growths next to the eye or the beak, grey, pink, red or yellow. They can grow until they cover the eye completely, and the surface sometimes dries to a crust or scab. Some birds also have weepy eyes with a discharge.

Growths like these are usually avian pox, a virus spread by biting insects, by birds touching, and by shared perches and feeders, where it can last a long time. The pox virus in tits has also been found in dunnocks and house sparrows; pigeons and starlings catch different pox viruses. A weepy, runny eye can come with a chest infection such as chlamydiosis instead. Small growths are easy to confuse with ticks, and only a vet examining the bird can say for sure.

In many species, particularly those that are not tits, the growths can be mild and may shrink away, and birds with pox usually appear to feed and move around normally. Some birds recover: in one study, 15 of the 104 sick wild great tits were caught again later with no lesions, and all but one of those 15 had no visible scar. In one of them the growth cleared within a week, and other birds carried theirs for more than a month. In dunnocks, reports run from about five weeks to two and a half months, and in one long study birds with pox were not found to die more often than birds without it. Great tits fare worse. While a growth covers the eye, the bird cannot see out of that eye and is easier prey, and 81 of the 104 sick great tits in that study were never caught again, which the researchers read as a survival cost. The growths on dunnocks’ heads were judged too small to affect sight, and the birds kept feeding. We could not find a study of birds’ sight after pox, so we cannot say how often a bird sees less well afterwards.

Who gets it. Great tits most often. Also dunnocks, house sparrows, starlings and woodpigeons.Pox is most common in late summer and early autumn. There is no known risk to people, dogs or cats. It can reach pet birds and poultry, and it lasts a long time on perches and feeders. If you see it, empty and dry the bird bath every day. If many birds in your garden are affected, Garden Wildlife Health suggests feeding much less, or stopping for two to four weeks.

From Avian pox in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, February 2018), Emergence of a Novel Avian Pox Disease in British Tit Species (Lawson and others, PLoS ONE) (PLoS ONE, 2012), A longitudinal study of avian pox in a small passerine, the Dunnock (Wawman and others, Ibis) (Ibis, 2026)

What else you may see

Sick birds are sorted here by what you can see, not by illness, because that is all anyone can do from a window. One bird may show several of these. A poorly bird may also get better: after this list, a section says how serious each illness is and whether birds recover.

  • Struggling to breathe

    Breathing with an open beak, gasping, or a discharge from the nose, mouth or eyes.

    Which birds.
    Pigeons and doves among others, and sometimes small birds such as blue tits, great tits, dunnocks and robins.
    What it might be.
    Chlamydiosis, an infection of the chest and eyes, is worth knowing about, because it can occasionally pass to people. In blue tits in spring, gasping can be a rarer bacterial infection called Suttonella. Trichomonosis can also make breathing laboured. None of them can be told apart by looking.
    How serious.
    A bird can carry chlamydiosis without looking ill, so the sick ones you see may be only some of those infected. The risk to people is low, but it is the reason to wet surfaces before you clean.

    From Chlamydiosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, January 2023)

  • Fluffed up, sleepy and sitting apart

    A bird sitting puffed up and still, away from the others, with its eyes half closed. It lets you come close, or it stays at the feeder long after the others have gone.

    Which birds.
    Any garden bird. Greenfinches and house sparrows in winter are a common example.
    What it might be.
    Almost anything. Salmonellosis, trichomonosis, chlamydiosis and many other illnesses all end up looking like this. On its own it is not a clue to which illness it is. What else the same bird shows is.
    How serious.
    A bird that stays at the feeder and lets you come close is showing a serious sign. Garden Wildlife Health describes birds that keep trying to feed until the final stages. The sources we read do not say how many recover.

    From Salmonellosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, January 2023)

  • Ragged or scruffy feathers

    Rough, missing or broken-looking feathers.

    Which birds.
    Any garden bird, including pigeons.
    What it might be.
    Often nothing at all. Most garden birds replace their feathers between about May and November; feral pigeons can moult in any month, mostly April to December. A bird in moult can look ragged while being perfectly well. In pigeons, pigeon paramyxovirus caught during the moult can leave feathers fragile or misshapen.
    How serious.
    Ask whether the bird is otherwise well. Scruffy but alert and feeding is most likely moult, which is a normal process and needs no treatment, and any bare skin showing should look normal. Scabs, lumps or discoloured skin are not moult; they point to illness. Scruffy and also fluffed up, struggling to breathe or wobbly is worth reporting.

    From Moult in birds (BTO Guide 19, Ginn and Melville) (BTO, 1983), Molting (Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, 2024), Pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (Garden Wildlife Health, October 2021)

  • Drooling, and food stuck to the beak

    Wet, matted feathers around the face and beak, drooling, bringing food back up, or trying and failing to swallow. In pigeons and doves the neck can look swollen, even from a distance.

    Which birds.
    Greenfinches and chaffinches most often, and pigeons and doves.
    What it might be.
    Trichomonosis, caused by a tiny parasite passed on in saliva, and in food and water a sick bird has dropped or brought back up. It first hit finches in 2005, and UK greenfinches fell by about two thirds between 1995 and 2024. In England their numbers now seem to have stopped falling.
    How serious.
    Serious, and easily spread where birds share food and water. Cleaning alone will not stop it once birds are sick, which is why feeders and baths should come down. It is most common from about July to October; Garden Wildlife Health puts the peak at June to September. There is no known risk to people, dogs or cats, but it can reach pet birds and poultry.

    From Trichomonosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, September 2022), Health hazards to wild birds and risk factors associated with feeding (Lawson and others, Phil Trans B) (Royal Society, 2018), The Breeding Bird Survey 2025 (BTO, JNCC and RSPB, 2026), Literature review of the effects of supplementary feeding on birds and people (RSPB Research Report 85) (RSPB, April 2026)

  • Crusty or lumpy legs and feet

    White or grey crusty growths on the feet and toes, sometimes spreading up the leg, or warty lumps.

    Which birds.
    Chaffinches, by far the most often.
    What it might be.
    Two different causes, a mite and a virus, which often turn up together and cannot be told apart by looking. Pox can also grow on the legs.
    How serious.
    Most birds with crusty legs are bright, active and feeding well. It is most often seen from November to March. There is no known risk to people, dogs or cats.

    From Leg abnormalities in finches (Garden Wildlife Health, November 2023)

  • Wobbly, twisting or unable to fly

    A bird that cannot keep its balance, twists its head over its back, or drags a wing or leg. Pigeons may also have green, watery droppings.

    Which birds.
    Pigeons and doves. In summer, blackbirds.
    What it might be.
    In pigeons, pigeon paramyxovirus, which is now established in Britain’s feral pigeons. In recorded outbreaks it has killed anywhere from one in ten to all of the birds infected. In blackbirds in summer, Usutu virus, spread by mosquitoes, can cause weakness and fits.
    How serious.
    Serious. If you keep pigeons, chickens or other birds yourself, see Who to tell, further down: in kept birds this is a disease you must report by law.

    From Pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (Garden Wildlife Health, October 2021), Newcastle disease: how to spot and report it (GOV.UK, June 2026)

  • Birds found dead, especially several

    Birds found dead with no sign of illness beforehand, or several dead birds over a short time.

    Which birds.
    Any.
    What it might be.
    Many things, including salmonellosis, trichomonosis and, rarely in garden birds, bird flu. Only a post-mortem can say which.
    How serious.
    This is where it stops being only a garden matter. Do not touch the birds, and see Who to tell, further down.

    From What to do if you find sick or dead wildlife (Garden Wildlife Health, September 2025), Report dead wild birds (Defra, GOV.UK, May 2024), Bird flu: latest situation in England (GOV.UK, October 2026)

How serious is each illness, and do birds recover?

The short answer is that it depends on the illness. Some birds recover from avian pox, but great tits fare worse. Some recover from crusty finch legs, and some wild pigeons and doves recover from pigeon paramyxovirus, although Garden Wildlife Health does not recommend treating wild birds. Trichomonosis has killed very large numbers of finches, and the sources we read do not say how many sick birds recover. For the rest, they do not say how often birds recover either, and where a source gives no time or no outcome we say so, rather than guess. You cannot tell these illnesses apart by looking, so this is what the sources say for each one, not a diagnosis of a bird you have seen.

  • Avian pox

    How serious.
    It varies by bird. In species other than tits it is mostly mild to moderate, and the growths can shrink away. In great tits the growths can grow very large and make it hard to see, feed or move. The disease is not always fatal there, but it lowers a great tit’s chance of surviving, most of all for young birds.
    Do birds recover.
    It depends on the bird. In one study of wild great tits, 15 of the 104 sick great tits were caught again later with no lesions, and all but one of those 15 had no visible scar. But 81 of the 104 were never caught again, which the researchers read as a survival cost. They warn that a bird not caught again is not proof that it died, because a bird can also simply go uncaught. Researchers say that where pox has long been present, birds with mild lesions frequently recover, and that this is the most common situation there. In a long study of dunnocks, birds with pox were not found to die more often than birds without it, and there was no sign of the disease coming back, which may mean that one infection gives lifelong immunity. Garden Wildlife Health says effective treatment of wild birds in the field is not possible.
    How long.
    It varies. In the great tit study, one bird cleared its growth within a week and others carried theirs for more than a month. Reports for dunnocks run from about five weeks to two and a half months.

    From Avian pox in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, February 2018), Health hazards to wild birds and risk factors associated with feeding (Lawson and others, Phil Trans B) (Royal Society, 2018), Pox in a wild great tit population (Lachish and others, PLoS ONE) (PLoS ONE, 2012), A longitudinal study of avian pox in a small passerine, the Dunnock (Wawman and others, Ibis) (Ibis, 2026)

  • Trichomonosis

    How serious.
    Very serious for finches. Researchers call it a fatal disease of finches, and it has killed very large numbers. Garden Wildlife Health puts the fall in UK breeding greenfinches at about 77%, from about 4.3 million to about 1 million birds in the 2021 Breeding Bird Survey, and links it to the epidemic that began in 2006. The 2025 survey gives about 65% from 1995 to 2024, which is a different span of years.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not say how many sick finches recover, and say nothing about recovery in pigeons and doves. What helps other birds is stopping it spreading: see “If you see a sick bird today”. Garden Wildlife Health says medicines exist for captive birds, but effective, targeted dosing of wild birds is not possible.
    How long.
    It can run over several days or even weeks, so sick birds are often very thin.

    From Trichomonosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, September 2022), Emerging Infectious Disease Leads to Rapid Population Declines of Common British Birds (Robinson and others, PLoS ONE) (PLoS ONE, 2010), The Breeding Bird Survey 2025 (BTO, JNCC and RSPB, 2026)

  • Salmonellosis

    How serious.
    It can be fatal: Garden Wildlife Health describes sick birds that keep trying to feed until the terminal stages of the disease. After outbreaks, numbers can drop for a while in one place, but there is no evidence that it has caused wide declines in Great Britain.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not say how many sick birds recover. Garden Wildlife Health says medicines exist for captive birds, but effective, targeted dosing of wild birds is not possible.
    How long.
    It can run over several days or even weeks, so sick birds are often very thin.

    From Salmonellosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, January 2023), Health hazards to wild birds and risk factors associated with feeding (Lawson and others, Phil Trans B) (Royal Society, 2018)

  • Chlamydiosis

    How serious.
    It varies. Some birds carry the bacterium and look well. Sick birds tend to show only general signs, such as lethargy and fluffed-up feathers, sometimes with trouble breathing, and some are simply found dead. Fewer cases are diagnosed in garden birds than of trichomonosis, pox or salmonellosis.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not say whether sick wild birds recover. Garden Wildlife Health says medicines exist for captive birds, but effective, targeted dosing of wild birds is not possible.
    How long.
    No source we read gives a timescale.

    From Chlamydiosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, January 2023)

  • Suttonella (mostly blue tits)

    How serious.
    It can kill tits. It is a lung infection. When it was first found in Britain, in spring 1996, tits died in eleven separate incidents, each of one to ten birds. In Germany in spring 2020, an epidemic led to over 20,000 reports of sick and dead tits.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not say whether sick tits recover. Garden Wildlife Health says medicines may help captive birds, but effective, targeted dosing of wild birds is not possible.
    How long.
    Affected birds are often thin, which suggests the disease runs over several days.

    From Suttonella ornithocola infection in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, October 2024)

  • Finch leg lesions

    How serious.
    Usually mild. Most chaffinches with leg lesions are bright and active, and they are not a frequent cause of death. Severe lesions can cause lameness or infection, and a bird can lose toes.
    Do birds recover.
    Some birds get better. Garden Wildlife Health says birds are believed to recover on their own in a proportion of cases of the viral kind. How the mite kind runs in wild birds is not well understood. No medicine exists for the viral kind, and effective, targeted dosing of wild birds for the mite kind is not possible.
    How long.
    The lesions are thought to grow slowly, over weeks to months. The factsheet gives no time for recovery.

    From Leg abnormalities in finches (Garden Wildlife Health, November 2023)

  • E. albertii

    How serious.
    It varies. Infected birds may show no signs, or may have severe disease that leads to death. In Britain, outbreaks usually affect only a small number of birds.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not say whether sick birds recover. Garden Wildlife Health says medicines exist for captive birds, but effective, targeted dosing of wild birds is not possible.
    How long.
    No source we read gives a timescale.

    From Escherichia albertii infection in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, May 2023)

  • Pigeon paramyxovirus

    How serious.
    It can be very serious. Garden Wildlife Health records death rates of 10 to 100 per cent in pigeons and doves, depending on the strain and other factors.
    Do birds recover.
    Some may, but Garden Wildlife Health does not recommend treating wild birds. It says that with supportive care, wild pigeons and doves may recover over 3 to 8 weeks, but those that survive can shed the virus for weeks, and may become carriers that pass it on to other wild birds, captive birds or poultry. If you keep pigeons, poultry or other birds, keep them well apart from wild pigeons and doves, and report suspected infection straight away (see “Who to tell”).
    How long.
    Signs can take 4 to 6 days, or up to 4 weeks, to show after infection. Where a bird recovers, it takes 3 to 8 weeks.

    From Pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (Garden Wildlife Health, October 2021)

  • Usutu virus

    How serious.
    It can be fatal, especially in blackbirds. Garden Wildlife Health says perching birds, blackbirds in particular, and owls show the highest death rates among wild birds. In mainland Europe, the most common sign has been summer die-offs, with birds found dead and no earlier sign of illness. In Britain, the virus was first found in blackbirds in 2020.
    Do birds recover.
    The sources we read do not describe sick birds recovering. Garden Wildlife Health says that in some parts of Europe, bird populations may be developing immunity to the virus.
    How long.
    No source we read gives a timescale. Sick blackbirds are rarely seen.

    From Usutu virus (Garden Wildlife Health, October 2024)

  • Bird flu

    How serious.
    Garden birds are at lower risk than ducks, geese, swans and gulls. In captive birds, GOV.UK lists sudden death as a sign of highly pathogenic bird flu, which it calls the most serious type.
    Do birds recover.
    The government pages we read give no recovery figures for garden birds.
    How long.
    No source we read gives a timescale for garden birds.

    From Bird flu (avian influenza): how to spot and report it in poultry or other captive birds (GOV.UK, August 2026), Bird flu: how to keep pets safe (GOV.UK, August 2023)

Three birds, three illnesses

A bird can show several signs at once. Here is how three of the common illnesses can look when it does.

  • A great tit with pox

    avian pox

    A crusty, warty lump has grown beside its eye and now covers it. Otherwise it may hop about and feed as normal, which is why pox can be spotted on birds that seem fine.

  • A pigeon with a chest and eye infection

    such as chlamydiosis

    It sits on its own, away from the flock. One or both eyes are weepy, it has a discharge from its nose, and it looks sleepy and puffed up. Chlamydiosis can look like this, but so can other infections, and only a laboratory test can tell which.

  • A greenfinch with trichomonosis

    trichomonosis

    It is puffed up and slow, with wet, matted feathers around its beak. It keeps going back to the feeder and trying to eat, but struggles to swallow and drops what it picks up.

Why one garden can have several illnesses at once. Birds can carry an infection while looking well, so the sick ones you notice may be only a few of those infected. Some illnesses turn up together: Garden Wildlife Health has found chlamydiosis in some of the same outbreaks as finch trichomonosis and pox. And feeders and baths bring birds closer together than they would otherwise be, which is known to help some infections spread, including finch trichomonosis.

From Chlamydiosis in garden birds (Garden Wildlife Health, January 2023) and RSPB Research Report 85 (April 2026)

The common illnesses at a glance

IllnessBirds most affectedWhat you might seePeople and pets
Avian poxGreat tits; also dunnocks, house sparrows, starlings, woodpigeonsWarty growths on the head, near the eye or beak, or on the legsNo known risk to people, dogs or cats. Can reach pet birds and poultry
TrichomonosisGreenfinches, chaffinches, pigeons and dovesDrooling, wet face, food stuck to the beak; swollen neck in pigeonsNo known risk to people, dogs or cats. Can reach pet birds and poultry
SalmonellosisGreenfinches and house sparrowsFluffed up, sleepy, staying at the feederA small risk to people, so wash your hands. Cats that catch sick birds may also be at risk
ChlamydiosisPigeons, doves and crows; sometimes tits, dunnocks, robinsBreathing trouble, discharge from the eyes, nose or mouthLow risk, caught by breathing in dust from droppings
Finch leg lesionsChaffinchesWhite or grey crusts and growths on the legs and feetNo known risk to people, dogs or cats
E. albertiiSiskins, chaffinches, greenfinchesDiarrhoeaCan cause diarrhoea in people. Travel and possibly food are the known risk factors. A link to wild birds is possible, so wash your hands
Pigeon paramyxovirusPigeons and dovesTwisted neck, loss of balance, paralysis, green watery droppingsOccasionally a mild eye infection in people. No known risk to dogs or cats. Kept pigeons can catch it and it must be reported
Usutu virusBlackbirdsWeakness, wobbling, fits; deaths in summerLow risk
Bird fluMainly waterbirds such as ducks, geese, swans and gulls. Garden birds are at lower riskSudden deathsVery low risk to the public. A small risk to cats and dogs that catch infected birds

When each one peaks

When each illness is most often reported, from Garden Wildlife Health and the research behind it. They do not share a season, so if several different signs turn up together, the time of year is not the whole story.

IllnessJFMAMJJASOND
TrichomonosisJuly to October (GWH: June to September), cases all year
Avian poxlate summer and early autumn
SalmonellosisNovember to February
Crusty finch legsNovember to March
E. albertii (diarrhoea)April to July, mostly Scotland
Suttonella (blue tits)spring
Usutu virus (blackbirds)summer
Chlamydiosisall year, no season

Keeping feeders and bird baths safe

What Garden Wildlife Health, the BTO and the RSPB agree on

  • Clean feeders and baths at least once a week. Wash off the dirt first, because dirt stops a disinfectant working. Then disinfect with an animal-safe product or a weak solution of household bleach. Follow the label on the bottle either way. Rinse well and let everything dry before refilling.
  • Keep yourself safe while you do it. Work outside, wear rubber gloves, and keep a brush and bowl just for this, never in the kitchen. Wash your hands and forearms afterwards.
  • Fresh water every day, or none. Give clean tap water daily. If you cannot keep that up, leave the bath dry.
  • Little and often. Put out only what will be eaten in a day or two, and throw old food in the bin, not the compost.
  • Move feeders every week, and sweep up spilled food and droppings underneath them.
  • Never add medicine to food or water. It cannot reach the right birds at the right dose, and antibiotics used this way can breed resistance.

From BTO, RSPB and Garden Wildlife Health

Garden Wildlife Health also says never to put anti-freeze in drinking water or a bird bath: it is extremely toxic to birds and other animals, including cats and dogs, so do not use it to stop the water freezing. The BTO and the RSPB pages we read do not mention it.

The newer seasonal advice

In April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO changed their advice to slow the spread of trichomonosis among finches. They now suggest seeds and peanuts only from November to April. From May to October, small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet are still fine, because finches rarely eat them. They also advise against bird tables, window feeders and feeders with trays, which the RSPB stopped selling in the winter of 2024 to 2025: food collects on them and sick birds bring food back up onto it.

The evidence is not complete. The BTO scientist who helped review it calls the new advice a precaution. No study has yet compared different feeder types, or feeding by season with feeding all year. Most trichomonosis is reported from about July to October, and Garden Wildlife Health includes June. Garden Wildlife Health’s feeding guidance, last updated in April 2021, supports feeding all year with good hygiene; we could not find a newer statement from them.

Not everyone agrees. Some bird food sellers, such as Vine House Farm, argue that extra food helps birds in the breeding season, and that birds will crowd onto the feeders that stay up. The RSPB’s review found little evidence on seed and peanuts in the breeding season: only three studies tested seed or fat alone between April and October, and none compared year-round with seasonal feeding.

The part Garden Wildlife Health, the BTO and the RSPB all agree on: weekly cleaning is sensible and keeps you safer, but once sick birds are visiting, cleaning alone will not stop trichomonosis. That is when feeders and baths should come down.

From RSPB guidance (July 2026), BTO, BTO blog, Garden Wildlife Health (April 2021), Vine House Farm and RSPB Research Report 85

Can any of this reach you or your pets?

Mostly no. Pox, trichomonosis, crusty finch legs and Suttonella have no known risk to people, dogs or cats. Trichomonosis and pox can reach pet birds and poultry, and chlamydiosis can reach pet birds, so keep them well apart from wild birds. If your cat falls ill at the same time as sick or dead garden birds, tell your vet.

Chlamydiosis is worth knowing about. The risk is low. In 2025, 13 people in England had laboratory-confirmed psittacosis, or a closely related sheep infection; of the nine who had been near birds, five had pet birds and three had fed birds in public. People catch it by breathing in dust from dried droppings, and in one Swedish outbreak, people who had cleaned bird feeders were more likely to have caught it. So wet things before you clean, wear gloves, and wash your hands. It usually feels like a cold or flu, but it can cause pneumonia, especially in older people or people with a weak immune system. UKHSA says it can be treated with antibiotics, so if you feel unwell after being near sick birds, see your doctor and mention the birds.

Salmonella can make people ill, so wash your hands after cleaning or handling feeders, and see a doctor if you think you have caught it. Cats that catch sick birds may also be at risk from it. E. albertii can cause diarrhoea in people. The risk factors found are foreign travel and possibly food; a link to wild birds is possible, because a few human cases matched finch strains.

Bird flu. Garden birds are at lower risk than ducks, geese, swans and gulls, and the risk to the public is very low. You can keep feeding birds; wash your hands afterwards, and avoid feeding where poultry or captive birds are kept.

From UK Health Security Agency (March 2026), Eurosurveillance (2013), Garden Wildlife Health factsheets, and GOV.UK bird flu guidance

Who to tell

Sick or dead garden birds

Garden Wildlife Health keeps the national record of illness in garden wildlife in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting is free and takes less than 15 minutes once you have registered a free account, and you can add photos. Describe each kind of sick bird separately. Their vets may ask for a dead bird for a post-mortem, which is the only way to know what killed it; do not post one unless they ask.

Garden Wildlife Health covers Great Britain. If you are in Northern Ireland, ask them whether they can take your report: gwh@zsl.org or 020 7449 6685.

A sick or injured bird that needs help

Try a local rescue or vet first: find one by postcode at Help Wildlife. If you cannot find help locally, call the national charity:

A bird that can still fly away is usually best left alone. In Scotland, the SSPCA asks you to keep the bird contained without touching it until help arrives.

Dead wild birds

In England, Scotland and Wales, you can report any dead wild bird to Defra on 03459 33 55 77 or online. Not every bird is collected. APHA collects birds when there are one or more dead birds of prey, swans, geese, ducks, gulls, seabirds or waders, or five or more dead birds of any other kind, in the same place. In Scotland, one dead blackbird is enough. This is how bird flu is watched for.

It is safest to leave a dead garden bird where it lies. That is the advice in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you find one or two dead garden birds at home that nobody collects, and you decide to dispose of them yourself, Defra and the other governments give these steps. Wear disposable gloves or put a plastic bag over your hand to pick the bird up. Put the bird in a bag and tie it. Put that bag in a second bag, along with the gloves or the bag you used to pick it up, and tie it. Put it in your outside household bin. Or bury the bird, with no bag, in a hole at least 60cm deep, away from streams and anywhere that could pollute water. Wash your hands afterwards. Report larger numbers instead, as above.

Northern Ireland has its own system, run by DAERA. DAERA is not collecting dead wild birds at the moment; its page said so when we checked on 2 October 2026. It asks for reports of dead swans, geese, ducks, gulls and birds of prey on its online tool. A single dead garden bird does not need reporting to DAERA. Report to DAERA.

If you keep pigeons, poultry or aviary birds

Newcastle disease, pigeon paramyxovirus in kept pigeons, and bird flu in kept birds must be reported straight away, by law. Failing to report Newcastle disease is an offence.

Where this comes from

The facts on this page come from these sources, all read on 2 October 2026. The sources for how serious each illness is, and whether birds recover, were read again on 3 October 2026, when one was added. The plain wording is ours. Dates are the date shown on each page, where it shows one. Follow the links for each organisation’s own words.

This is not veterinary advice. None of these illnesses can be confirmed by looking: that takes a vet’s examination or a post-mortem, and a bird can have more than one at once. Where trusted sources disagree, as they do on summer feeding, on how long to pause and on peak months, we have given each view. GardenBirbs is not connected with Garden Wildlife Health, the BTO, the RSPB or any government body.