“2025 Bird Flu Update: Concerns rise as deceased birds found on Lake Michigan shores raise worries about avian flu outbreak”

CHICAGO (WLS) — WARNING: Some may find the visuals in this story disturbing.

Reports of dead birds washing up on beaches along Lake Michigan are sparking new fears over bird flu.

Over the weekend, volunteers canvassed North Avenue Beach, disposing of a couple dozen birds, with dozens more washed out into the lake.

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“Reports started coming in about deceased, ill, and dying birds along various beaches, spanning from as far north as Wilmette to the Hyde Park area,” Annette Prince from Chicago Bird Collision Monitors shared.

Within the past three days, Prince mentioned that their hotline has been buzzing with sightings of waterfowl, particularly common and red-breasted merganser ducks, washing ashore. Some of these birds were ailing while others had already perished.

“These birds typically remain in the water and do not venture onto land. Observing them on the beach signals that they are distressed,” explained Prince.

Prince said while nothing is confirmed, the symptoms mirror confirmed cases of avian flu in the area over the past two months. Last month, the Lincoln Park Zoo lost a harbor seal and a Chilean flamingo to the bird flu. And, in Matteson, a chicken farm was hit by bird flu, wiping out 3,000 hens.

“That’s something that’s concerning, more just to understand where it would be coming from, why it would be happening,” dog owner Kathleen Palla said.

Dog owners walking North Avenue Beach are keeping a closer than normal eye on their pets. As for human health, experts say cases of avian flu should not be a cause for panic.

“We don’t think there’s any really serious public health threat with this. So, obviously, it’s bad for the birds, and it’s been really bad for domestic poultry flocks. And, we have to depopulate those so it doesn’t spread,” said Jim Lowe, a University of Illinois professor of veterinary clinical medicine.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said if there are five or more sick or dead wild birds, their district wildlife biologists should be contacted.