Avian flu detected in dead birds in a Middletown park, Bucks County officials say

Bucks County officials are warning residents not to touch or interact with wildlife in county parks after several birds in the county tested positive for avian flu.

Several wild birds were found dead last month in Core Creek Park in Middletown and the state game commission later confirmed they had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian flu, said James O’Malley, a spokesperson for the county.

County officials said in a post late last week on the Bucks County Parks and Recreation Facebook page that county parks had been “experiencing an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

Highly pathogenic avian flu is deadly to domestic birds and can kill entire flocks in days, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Typically, flocks are culled to prevent the spread of the disease.

Some wild birds can carry the disease without symptoms, but others are susceptible to illness and death. The state game commission suspects avian flu killed hundreds of snow geese found dead in a Northampton County quarry in December.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says HPAI is not spreading from person to person, and cases are rare in humans. The CDC has confirmed 71 cases of avian flu in people and two deaths since February 2024, plus another seven probable cases. Most were detected west of the Mississippi River, and typically in people who have close contact with poultry or cattle, which can also contract avian flu.

One probable case was in Delaware, and one confirmed case was in Ohio.

Anyone who sees a sick or dead wild bird should call 1-833-PGC-WILD. Sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to the state agriculture department at 717-772-2852.

Anyone who is feeling ill after being around wild animals should call the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH, Bucks County officials said.

An ongoing avian flu outbreak in the United States started in 2022 and continues to spread.

In the last month, Pennsylvania has reported the highest number of cases among domestic birds in the country, and since 2022 has lost more than 14.3 million birds to the flu — about half of them in 2026 alone, state officials said in a February news release.

The federal Department of Agriculture said more than 5.5 million birds belonging to 13 commercial flocks and 4 backyard flocks have affected by the latest outbreak over the last 30 days, meaning they lived on farms where infections were confirmed.

Earlier in February, Gov. Josh Shapiro held a roundtable in Lancaster on the state’s avian flu response. In a news release, state officials noted that poultry farming makes up the largest part of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, with 48,000 farms and 600,000 associated jobs.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the country with a recovery fund for farmers affected by avian flu cases and has paid $15.6 million to businesses who lost birds since 2022, state officials said.

Shapiro said he has expanded efforts to track the flu and quarantine affected farms. He is also asking for funds to would support more testing around the state in his 2026-2027 proposed budget.

New Jersey has also reported recent cases of avian flu. This year’s first confirmed case in the state was detected on a poultry farm in Burlington County in January. The state has also reported more than 4,000 deaths of wild birds suspected to have died from avian flu between Feb. 25 and March 6, including cases in Camden and Gloucester Counties.