A Survey on the Incidence of Salmonellae in Wild Birds

Abstract
A Salmonella infection was identified in 12 of the 1st 100 wild bird consignments submitted during a 1-yr survey. Eight outbreaks of S. typhimurium infection, in scattered geographical areas, were identified in brown-headed cowbirds. Seven of these outbreaks occurred during the winter months. Our findings suggest that cowbirds may harbor a high incidence of Salmonella, and this revelation merits further investigation. Two outbreaks of S. typhimurium infection were identified in house sparrows, 1 S. typhimurium infection in a white-throated sparrow, and 1 S. derby infection in a herring gull.