Gov. Pillen and NDA offer information for reporting dead wild birds

LINCOLN, Neb. — Gov. Jim Pillen is partnering with the Department of Agriculture in providing Nebraskans with information about the appearance of avian influenza in wild birds this time of year. On March 21, the Douglas County Health Department reported on the detection of H5N1 in dead geese at ConAgra Lake in Omaha.

“Nebraska is situated in the heart of the migratory bird path, especially waterfowl. It’s well known that wild waterfowl can be infected with avian influenza and transmit the virus to other birds, including backyard and commercial poultry, through contact including wild bird droppings. Many wild birds will show no symptoms of the virus however, some will succumb to the disease,” said NDA State Veterinarian Roger Dudley.

According to the USDA Wildlife Services website, there were 29 wild birds with H5N1 in Nebraska in 2022. There were 17 reported in 2023, 11 in 2024 and five in 2025, excluding the two most recent detections reported in Douglas County.

Anyone spotting a dead wild bird is encouraged to utilize the new Nebraska Game and Parks website to report it. An easy-to-complete webform can be found here: https://outdoornebraska.gov/conservation/conservation-challenges/wildlife-diseases/avian-influenza/.