Manitoba, Canada: 2023-2026 Avian flu in wild birds

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Source: https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/avian-flu-alarm-sounded-for-small-flocks/


Avian flu alarm sounded for small flocks
Wild goose deaths spark calls for biosecurity measures
By Alexis Stockford
Published: 3 hours ago

Small flock owners around Portage la Prairie are being asked to ramp up biosecurity.

The province has warned producers about a rash of wild birds in the area that have died due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Why it matters: As of Dec. 12, HPAI had claimed over 10.9 million domestic birds in Canada since late 2021.

In a Dec. 4 Growing Manitoba Ag newsletter, the province said that a “large number of mortalities” from HPAI had been reported in late November within Portage la Prairie’s Canada goose population.

Not every mortality was tested, the province later said via email. Of the 30 noted dead birds, eight were sampled. All came back positive for HPAI.​..

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Bird flu kills several Canada geese in Niverville

Graham Sceviour-Fraehlich
Published yesterday at 5:50 PM CST

Dozens of Canada geese have been found dead in Niverville, southern Manitoba, due to the avian flu affecting the region.

A resident of the village, Mason Goulet, last week found dead Canada geese due to avian flu in a retention pond behind his house.

About three weeks ago, Mr. Goulet noticed some Canada geese having difficulty moving on the ice of the basin.

"We thought some of them might have been frozen in the ice ," Mr. Goulet said Thursday. " It turns out they were actually sick."

Indeed, laboratory tests have confirmed that it is the H5N1 virus.

On November 13, the village leadership issued a statement to warn of cases of avian influenza among the local goose population.

Canada goose mortality rates are currently higher than usual for this time of year, according to Canadian Wildlife Service biologist Frank Baldwin.

He explains that other regions of Canada and the United States have seen similar mortality rates among these poultry.

Canada is currently experiencing an outbreak of avian influenza in wild and domestic poultry. Since December 2021, more than 16 million domestic poultry have died from the flu or have been culled to stop the spread of the virus.

Last month, 300 ostriches were killed in British Columbia. The same fate befell 63,000 birds in Ontario.

Low transmissibility to humans

Frank Baldwin, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, says it is unusual to see such high mortality rates related to avian flu in Manitoba.

One case of H5N1 was detected in a human last year in British Columbia, but the Public Health Agency of Canada says this flu poses a low risk to humans.

Frank Baldwin, however, recommends taking certain precautions. Among other things, he advises keeping pets away from dead poultry.

He also recommends that hunters pluck poultry in open areas, wash their hands regularly, and ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked.

There is a risk to scavengers, such as birds of prey like bald eagles, as well as certain mammals that feed on carrion , says Mr. Baldwin. Cases were confirmed this fall in Manitoba in coyotes, otters, and foxes that contracted the virus and died.

Humans at the highest risk level are those who work in poultry farms or dairy farms, according to University of Manitoba researcher Hannah Wallace.

It is people who are in very close and prolonged contact with infected animals , explains the researcher, adding that avian flu spreads rapidly among poultry.
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https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2212074/douzaines-bernaches-mort-grippe-aviaire

 

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More than 50 dead Canada geese found on frozen river in Lockport, Man.

​Mass of dead birds follows recovery of 165 carcasses in Niverville, Man.

​Dec 09, 2025
Another mass die-off of Canada geese has been found in southern Manitoba, this time north of Winnipeg.

An estimated 50 dead geese were seen on Monday, lying in the snow on the frozen Red River in Lockport, about 15 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

That discovery comes after 165 goose carcasses were removed last week from retention ponds in Niverville, about 20 kilometres south of Winnipeg. Lab tests confirmed they died from the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the H5 avian influenza virus.

"We haven't collected any of those carcasses [in Lockport] yet for testing, but just based on the number and the distribution, we suspect that the same disease is killing these birds," Canadian Wildlife Service biologist Frank Baldwin told CBC Manitoba Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Tuesday.
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"So the virus is something that the birds have evolved with, but it's a bit of an interesting situation this year, because we haven't seen this level of mortality in geese before," Baldwin said.
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At least one goose in Lockport appears to have been picked at by scavengers, and Baldwin said a large number of scavengers have already been confirmed by a provincial veterinary lab this fall to have been infected by a form of the H5 virus, including coyotes, otters, foxes, ravens and crows, snowy owls and bald eagles.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/dead-canada-goose-river-lockport-manitoba-9.7008431

 

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Manitoba

Die-off of hundreds of birds something Manitoba hasn't experienced 'at this scale': biologist

Scientists suspect die-off is related to avian influenza after birds in Niverville test positive for virus

Santiago Arias Orozco · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2025 5:00 AM CST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

At least 500 bird carcasses, the majority Canadian geese, have been recovered near water streams in southern Manitoba over the last month — a die-off scientists say they haven't witnessed in the province before and are attributing to avian influenza.

"Anywhere there was open water, where birds were concentrated, now we're seeing carcasses," Frank Baldwin, a biologist with Canadian Wildlife Service, told CBC News on Thursday.

"We haven't experienced this in Manitoba yet at this scale."
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Hannah Wallace, a University of Manitoba researcher with expertise in viral immunology, said it is strange that after years of avian influenza circulating in North America there would be so many bird deaths at once.

"We would think that some of the birds that had been exposed … would have some protection," she said.

While it is not clear yet what's behind the number of suspected H5N1 deaths in Manitoba, Wallace said it is possible that with late migration, food was in short supply, making birds more susceptible to contracting different diseases at once.

Scientists are also not discounting the possibility avian influenza could have mutated.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/dead-birds-carcasses-avian-influenza-9.7012752

 

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Bird flu: Massive and "unprecedented" mortality hits Manitoba

Approximately 500 bird carcasses, mostly Canada geese, were discovered near waterways in southern Manitoba in early December 2025. A biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service says samples from these birds, which tested positive for avian influenza, have been sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Joseph Hervé Ahissou
Published at 9:18 AM CST

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detected a highly contagious strain of avian influenza in several samples taken in southern Manitoba, following an episode of mass mortality that scientists are describing as unprecedented.

The highest concentration of dead birds was recorded two months ago in the town of Niverville, located about 30 kilometers south of Winnipeg. A total of 500 carcasses were found there, mostly Canada geese.

On December 11, 2025, 39 samples of wild birds were submitted to the National Center for Exotic Animal Diseases (CNMAE). Laboratory analysis confirmed that 38 of these samples were positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, the CNMAE stated.ACIA.

Experts' relief despite the carnage

Hannah Wallace, a researcher at the University of Manitoba and a specialist in viral immunology, explains that, while the H5N1 virus is the cause of significant illness and mortality in birds, she is relieved to see that tests confirm this specific strain.

'We expected it. It's exactly the same strain we've been dealing with recently.'
A quote from Hannah Wallace, a researcher at the University of Manitoba and a specialist in viral immunology

Scientists had never before observed such a high mortality rate in geese infected with this virus.

Hannah Wallace feared that the infectious agent had mutated into a different strain, potentially more dangerous to humans.

Cases of H5N1 influenza have been identified in humans, and the risk is that a virus of mixed avian and human origin could create a hybrid virus , the researcher explains. She does not rule out the possibility that this could have serious consequences for the population.

First detected in Canada in late 2021, the H5N1 virus has already been in contact with the majority of Canadian birds, giving them some immunity.

However, weak or malnourished individuals remain highly vulnerable. Hannah Wallace wonders if this factor explains the devastating impact in southern Manitoba.

After a mild start to autumn, the birds may have stayed too late in the province before suffering a sharp drop in temperatures and a food shortage.

The virus's resistance to winter

While the presence of the virus in migratory birds does not surprise experts, they are concerned about its resistance. According to Hannah Wallace, the virus can survive in the sediments of ponds and rivers, even in freezing temperatures, and until spring.

The Canadian Wildlife Service remains vigilant. While birds sometimes develop antibodies, the duration of this immunity remains unknown.

Frank Baldwin, a biologist with this organization, points out that the virus's behavior varies from year to year.

'I think it is likely that we will observe some mortality among snow geese and Ross's geese that cross Canada in April and May, during their migration to the Arctic.'
A quote from Frank Baldwin, biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service

For poultry producers, this resurgence is a critical threat. Rod Wiebe, president of the Manitoba Chicken Producers , points out that the virus's extreme contagiousness makes the situation perilous during migrations, when wild birds fly over farms.

At Breezy Birds Farm , the owner, Candace Lylyk, has radically changed her practices: banning visits for customers and systematically disinfecting truck tires.

"I fear losing my poultry, they are my family ," she confides, illustrating the anxiety of farmers facing a virus that is almost impossible to control once introduced into the environment.

With information from Santiago Arias Orozco

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2222692/grippe-aviaire-mortalite-oiseaux-carcasses