DHEC 2085 (4/2021) Ship to: SC DHEC – Public Health Laboratory – ATTN: West Nile Bird – 8231 Parklane Road – Columbia, SC 29223-4903

SC DHEC Dead Bird Submission and Reporting Sheet

Local ID No. ________________

· If more than one bird of the same species is being submitted from the same dead bird site, complete and submit only one form.· Submit separate sheets for each different species.· Exception: Fill out an individual sheet for a bird that was euthanized, and mark the bag so it can be identified.

Species of dead bird(s) [common name] _____________________________________________________________________________

Date bird was first seen __________________________________ Date bird was collected ___________________________________

Number of dead birds seen _______________________________ Number of dead birds submitted ____________________________

Was the bird found ill? Yes No Did the bird die on its own? Yes No Was the bird euthanized? Yes No

If the bird was euthanized, what substance or method was used? _________________________________________________________

Location of Dead Bird

Site

State ______ County ____________________________ City _______________________________ ZIP ___________

Specific Location

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

If not a street address, provide detailed driving directions by using distances from nearby road intersections.

Coordinates W _____________________ ° (X; Longitude); N _____________________ ° (Y; Latitude)

Person Reporting

Dead Bird(s)

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________

Street Address ___________________________________________________________________________________

City________________________________________________________________ State __________ ZIP _________

*Phone # _______________________________________ EXT. _________ Cell # _____________________________

E-Mail Address __________________________________________________________________________________

Person &

Agency Submitting this Form

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________

Agency _________________________________________________________________________________________

Street Address ___________________________________________________________________________________

City________________________________________________________________ State ___________ ZIP ________

*Phone # _______________________________________ EXT. _________ *FAX # ____________________________

E-Mail Address __________________________________________________________________________________*Required for results notification

—LAB USE ONLY —

West Nile Virus: Positive Negative Not Tested; Eastern Equine Encephalitis: Positive Negative Not Tested

UNACCEPTABLE FOR TESTING: Too decomposed; Not testing this species; Not currently testing birds in this area.

Date of Result ______________________ Date of Result Notification __________________________ Initials ___________________

Comments _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

- LAB USE ONLY -

Initials ____________________________ Date Sample Taken __________________

(1) _________________________________

Sample Type Specimen No.

Date Received ______________________

(2) _________________________________

(1)__________________________________

(2)__________________________________

External Instructions for Submitting Dead Birds

D-2085 Dead Bird Submission Form Instructions 1 of 3

EXTERNAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF DEAD BIRDS FOR WEST NILE VIRUS SURVEILLANCE

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control | Bureau of Environmental Health Services State Public Health Laboratory, 8231 Parklane Road, Columbia, South Carolina, 29223

Medical Entomology - (803) 896-3802; Vector Program Coordinator (803) 896-5299

BIRD SPECIES TO SUBMIT TO SC DHEC

BIRD SPECIES TO SUBMIT TO SC DNR

Submit eagles and other raptors to SC DNR, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (803-734-3886)

• Eagle. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) will submit eagles for WNVtesting to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia’s Collegeof Veterinary Medicine in Athens. Ask SC DNR to send a copy of the dead bird submission sheet toDHEC for tracking purposes

• Raptor Die-Offs (Hawk, Falcon, Vulture, and Owl). Submit raptors to SC DNR only if unusual die-offsoccur.

BIRD SPECIES TO SUBMIT TO CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

• Birds Raised for Agribusiness Purposes (Chicken, Turkey, Quail, Pheasant, Duck, Goose, and Emu).Contact the Field Veterinarians at the Clemson University Livestock-Poultry Health Programs inColumbia, SC (803-788-2260), if unexplained die-offs in flocks occur.

OTHER BIRD SPECIES

Other bird species will be considered for testing on a case-by-case basis.

• Birds that die as a part of a mass die-off at a single time and place, which indicates that illness wascaused by something else other than WNV, will not be tested.

• Birds submitted by veterinarians affiliated with zoos, raptor rehabilitation centers, and similarfacilities will be accepted for testing if WNV is suspected as the cause of illness.

• Birds that have neurological symptoms consistent with WNV prior to its death can be tested.

• Crows (American crow and Fish crow). 17 to 21 inches long; body all black.Note: A grackle is similar looking to a crow: 11 to 13 inches long; head with agreen or purple iridescent sheen; body is black or brown.

• Blue Jay. 9 to 12 inches long; upperparts bright blue; underparts whitishgray; head with gray-blue crest; throat and head with continuous black collar(necklace); wings and tail bright sky-blue with heavy black barring; bill, legs,feet, and eyes black.

• House Finch. 6 inches long; upperparts grayish-brown, underparts whitishwith streaks of brown, brown and gray; wings with two narrow whitish bars;upper tails brown. Male house finch: face, neck, shoulders, rump either rosyred, yellow, or orange, with color sometimes extending down belly and backbetween the wings. Female house finch: red, yellow, or orange color lacking;face plain and unmarked.

• House Sparrow. 5.5 to 6.5 inches long. Male house sparrow: Head gray;cheeks gray or white; throat (“bib”) black with white collar; Upperpartsreddish-brown with black streaking; underparts pale gray; wings with asingle white bar. Female house sparrow: Upperparts buffy-brown with blackstreaking; underparts dingy grayish-brown; wings with a single white bar.

External Instructions for Submitting Dead Birds

D-2085 Dead Bird Submission Form Instructions 2 of 3

SUBMITTING DEAD BIRDS

• Submit dead birds from mid-March through November 30. The local county environmental healthoffice will determine if birds qualify for testing.

• Submit only freshly dead wild birds that show no signs of physical trauma or decay. Do not submitroadkill or birds with missing eyes, obvious odor, skin discoloration, feathers or skin that easily ruboff, maggots, gunshot or other types of wounds.

• Do not handle dead birds with bare hands. Birds should be picked up with doubled bags that havebeen turned inside out. The doubled bag then should be inverted, sealed, and placed on ice or keptcool until the bird can be refrigerated in a non-food refrigerator. We encourage the use of clearplastic bags so that the bird can be seen through the bags.

• Use “SC DHEC Dead Bird Submission and Reporting Form (pdf),” to submit or report dead birds.o A bird will not be tested if its physical location is unknown. If no street address is available,

provide directions to the dead bird site. If necessary, draw a map on the back of the formindicating distances from nearby road intersections.

• A dead bird should be placed on ice or kept cool until it can be refrigerated in a non-foodrefrigerator. If the carcass cannot be shipped within 36 hours of collection, the carcass should befrozen in a non-food freezer until shipment.

• Take the bird to your local environmental health department. Staff there will make sure the birdqualifies for testing and then send it to DHEC’s Medical Entomology Laboratory.

REPORTING OF RESULTS

• Lab testing for WNV will take up to 1 month (range 1-4 weeks) to complete.• Results will be reported to the local health department via fax or E-mail.• Local county environmental health departments will notify you of the results.

SC DNR will coordinate West Nile virus and other testing with the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) and will relay test results

to DHEC.

Commonly reported clinical signs in WNV-infected birds include weakness, lethargy, shaking, seizures, inability to

walk/fly/perch, blindness, and lack of fear of humans (i.e., are easily approached).

Bird Descriptions

D-2085 Dead Bird Submission Form Instructions 3 of 3

BIRD DESCRIPTIONS