Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
A regional public media collaboration serving the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

"New Duck Disease" Afflicting Birds In Colorado

Canada Geese
Creative Commons Zero - CC0
Canada Geese

A bacterial infection that infects Canada geese called "" has turned up in the Mountain West.

The disease—contrary to its name—is actually not new, according to Jason Clay with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He said it comes around in cycles every few years and mainly affects water birds, but can spread to poultry and other types of birds too.  

Canada geese are primarily a migratory species that pass through our region in the winter in large numbers.

"So when these large congregated flocks come together,” said Clay, “they create ideal conditions for various illnesses to travel amongst their populations.”

Clay said about 50 ducks and geese have been reported dead so far in the Denver metro area. But since Canada geese do migrate, the agency is keeping a close watch for potential spread of infection. 

And, Clay warned the public. “Don’t try to discard any carcasses yourselves or make contact with them and keep your pets away,” he said.

Clay said tests on the dead birds have been negative so far for viruses that can be transmitted to humans.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department said the agency has seen no cases yet this year. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Idaho Department of Agriculture said they are also not aware of any cases in their states yet this year.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

Copyright 2020 KRCC. To see more, visit .

Ali Budner is KRCC's reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, a journalism collaborative that unites six stations across the Mountain West, including stations in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana to better serve the people of the region. The project focuses its reporting on topic areas including issues of land and water, growth, politics, and Western culture and heritage.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.