Dead Wild Bird Information

Information from Sandy Baptie – ELC:

Wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people, so do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.

If you find a single dead bird of prey, gull or wildfowl species (particularly wild geese, wild ducks, swans), or find five or more birds of any other species in the same location and at the same time, please report these incidents to Defra’s national telephone helpline (03459 33 55 77 – please select option 7).

 How should dead wild birds found on private property be disposed of?

If birds do not require reporting to the GB Dead Wild Bird Helpline, follow this advice for their disposal.

Disposal in household or municipal waste refuse:

  • If possible, wear disposable protective gloves when picking up and handling dead wild birds (if disposable gloves are not available, a plastic bag can be used as a make-shift glove). When the dead bird has been picked up, the bag can be turned back on itself and tied. It should then be placed in a second plastic bag, tied and disposed of in the normal household waste (lidded bin outside).
  • Place the dead bird in a suitable plastic bag, preferably leak proof. Care should be taken not to contaminate the outside of the bag.
  • Tie the bag and place it in a second plastic bag.
  • Remove gloves by turning them inside out and then place them in the second plastic bag. Tie the bag and dispose of it in the normal household refuse bin.

Burial:

  • The dead bird can be buried, but not in a plastic bag.
  • The depth of the burial hole must be sufficient to prevent animals scavenging and gaining access to it – at least 60cm deep is advised.
  • Location must not be near any watercourses, or likely to contaminate local water supplies.

If you find a deceased raptor/corvid that you believe to be the victim of wildlife crime, do not touch the bird. This will help preserve any evidence of a potential crime scene. Also, the dead bird may contain poisons that can be absorbed into the skin or contaminate the environment. Please contact the police on 101 and ask if the matter can be referred to a Wildlife Crime Officer. There is more information on the Police Scotland website Alternatively, the incident can be reported anonymously to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

Report an injured animal to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) in Scotland. Phone: 03000 999 999 – information about call charges is available.

Further information is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/pages/dead-or-sick-wild-birds-what-to-do/