Wildlife experts say to ditch bird feeders amidst songbird salmonella outbreak

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) -- The request coming from local wildlife experts this spring is this: Take down your bird feeder.

Wildcare Wildlife Hospital in San Rafael says a major salmonella outbreak is killing songbirds across the state.

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In fact, they say this is the worst outbreak they have ever seen.

Birds become infected with salmonella bacteria when they come into contact with droppings from other birds, and that often occurs at birdfeeders.

"It's very deadly to songbirds. It's just been horrible how many birds have died," said Alison Hermance, director of communications at Wildcare. We see so many at the hospital. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg for the number of birds that have actually been inflicted by this deadly disease."

Wildcare says if you have a bird feeder, you should clean it at least once a week with bleach.