INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the number of counties who have reported a mysterious illness in songbirds has grown to 69.
The cause or transmission of the illness is still unknown and under investigation.
The sick and dying songbirds were first reported in Monroe County in late May, and the DNR asked residents statewide to remove their birdfeeders last month.
Multiple bird species have been reported as affected, including American robin, blue jay, brown-headed cowbird, common grackle, European starling, sparrow, house finch, northern cardinal, red-headed woodpecker and wren.
Laboratory diagnostic results are pending. All birds have tested negative for avian influenza, West Nile virus, and other flaviviruses, Salmonella and Chlamydia (bacterial pathogens), Newcastle disease virus and other paramyxoviruses, herpesviruses and poxviruses
Affected counties include: Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Shelby, St. Joseph, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Union, Vanderburgh, Vigo, Warrick, Washington, White and Whitley.
