Deadly Bird Disease Spotted in South Denver

Bird lovers, beware: a nasty, deadly disease known as avian pox has been spotted in south Denver.


The disease's symptoms appears on a bird's unfeathered areas, such as its beaks, eyes and feet, in the form of warts, lesions and inflammation, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife. The disease is painful for birds as it can blind them and make it hard to eat and breathe.

According to CPW public information officer Kara Van Hoose, the photo shared online "does appear" to be avian pox. Van Hoose says she's not aware of any widespread reports of the disease this year, but "it is a wildlife disease that exists on the Colorado landscape like avian influenza or mange."

"When there are clusters of birds together in the same place, disease is more likely to spread. It's mostly benign to birds, except if the pustules get into their eyes or throats, impeding their ability to see or eat," Van Hoose adds,

According to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, avian pox is found throughout the world, but outbreaks of the disease are rare. Humans can't get infected with avian pox, but it can be fatal to wild and domesticated birds, including pets and livestock, according to CPW. 

In a cautionary opinion piece for the Pikes Peak Courier in June, Colorado Parks & Wildlife district manager Tyson Floersheim wrote that avian pox "can be spread to any species of bird," adding that it is "particularly severe" in Colorado's wild turkey population.

"The disease causes pustules on the head, feet, and other unfeathered skin, but also causes similar pustules inside the bird’s mouth and throat," according to Floersheim, who noted that "affected wild turkeys will often die."
According to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, bird baths and feeders where infected birds are spotted should be removed to keep the virus from spreading to other birds, and then washed in a 10 percent bleach solution before reinstallation. It adds that the virus mostly spreads through direct contact between birds' skin abrasions, so people should try to keep birds from flocking if the virus is in their area, as well.

"Avian pox is a highly transmissible disease," the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab warns. "Control of outbreaks associated with birdfeeders involves removal of feeders and birdbaths to reduce congregating, followed by disinfection."


Colorado's beloved birds deal with avian pox every year, often in the summer and fall as it's often spread by mosquitoes, according to the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. According to Michael Chamberlain, a Wildlife Ecology and Management professor at the University of Georgia, the disease can be found anywhere with insects and a high density of birds, often metro areas and poultry farms.

In 2018, Fort Collins residents helped a red-tailed hawk that was starving, infected with avian pox and had a broken arm. Last year, two infected finches were spotted in Montrose with red warts on their beak. In 2020, a bald eagle was found with avian pox in Lakewood.

The red-tailed hawk was treated with antibiotics and anitfungals. After five months spent recovering, the hawk's warts and abrasions healed, and it flew off to return to the wild. It's unclear whether the other birds found with avian pox over the years survived the disease. Most birds infected in Colorado probably won't be so lucky if they get infected, however.

If you spot a bird that seems infected with avian pox, CPW recommends taking down feeders and bird baths and reporting the sighting by calling 970-842-6300.