Protect your feathered friends — and your family pets — from ‘songbird fever’

The N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking the owners of bird feeders and baths to help protect songbirds from a bacterial infection called “songbird fever,” which is also known as Salmonellas.

According to the DEC, in 2013, officials confirmed several cases of Salmonella infections in dead Redpolls in 13 counties across the state, including Suffolk. It is unclear if there were additional cases, said Lori Severino, spokeswoman for the DEC, since the DEC was not able to obtain birds for testing in other counties. There have been no confirmed cases so far in 2014.

“It is likely there were more sick birds around the state as this species was widely distributed last year in New York,” she said.

While the infection was found mostly in the Redpoll songbird species, Severino said the salmonella outbreaks can occur sporadically in multiple species of songbirds, including Cardinals, Goldfinches, Sparrows, Cowbirds and Pine Siskins.

“Bird feeders can be safe and enjoyable way to watch birds from the comfort of one’s home, but under the right circumstances, birdfeeders can also be a place where diseases can spread very quickly between birds because of their close contact to each other,” said Severino.

Specifically, Severino explained that “Songbird fever” can be spread to not only songbirds, but also domestic animals and people through feces, contaminated seeds, seed waste and water.

Since birds are more susceptible to disease in the last days of winter and early spring, the DEC recommends that birdbaths and feeders be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent the spread of disease.

To clean the baths and feeders, the DEC suggests wearing gloves to empty them and clean with hot soap and water every two weeks and to also soak feeders in a dilute of 10 percent bleach and air-dry them before re-hanging. Waste seed on the ground under the feeders should also be cleaned up.

The DEC further advocates moving the location of feeders periodically to prevent the build-up of waste and asks that anyone who spots a sick or dead bird near a feeder to report it by calling (631) 444-0200.