Bird flu 'likely' kills 400 snow geese at Northampton County quarry

It looks like Avian influenza is back, plaguing Pennsylvania’s birds, according to a Pennsylvania Game Commission official.

After months of an apparent respite from the vicious virus, Communications Director Travis Lau said Wednesday that bird flu likely killed approximately 400 snow geese in Northampton County.

Lau said the agency received word of the bird deaths on Friday.

The commission put out a press release confirming the deaths the following Tuesday.

Bird flu or High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a vicious virus that attacks birds’ nervous systems and can kill entire flocks in a few days. Some researchers compare the virus to pneumonia because of how affected birds gasp for air, but others say its neurological symptoms present more like rabies.

Is bird flu coming back to Pennsylvania in late 2025?

Bird flu is, unfortunately, the ‘gift that keeps on giving’ in Pennsylvania.

The current spread of the virus first rocked Pennsylvania in 2022 with the infection of a flock of commercial chickens in Lancaster County. 

Infection levels tapered off over the next few years, but the state faced a “sharp resurgence” of the virus in wild birds from late 2024 to early 2025, according to the press release. The spread tailed off after several weeks, though it was still detected at lower levels.

Lau said the agency has not gotten testing back to confirm avian flu as the cause of death, but based on what the agency found in Northampton, it is unlikely they passed from anything else.

He also said that he could not specify where the birds were found to protect the quarry’s anonymity, but that it was in a “similar area” to where the agency reported hundreds of birds died in early 2025.

In February, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture reported that several flocks on commercial poultry farms in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Lehigh counties were infected based on initial tests and “rapid deaths among birds.”

Lau said places like quarries or farm land with vast open spaces and nearby lakes or ponds are at an increased risk for bird flu, as migratory birds will choose those spaces to rest and feed before continuing their southward journey.

Can I keep myself and my animals safe from avian influenza?

Luckily, bird flu largely does not pose risks to the general public, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC reports that there is no known human-to-human spread at this time. Since 2024, it reports there have been 71 human cases, including two deaths in the United States.

People who work with poultry and other farm animals are at an increased risk, but biosecurity measures like washing your hands after taking care of the animals and designating a pair of shoes specifically for farm work are a great way to keep oneself and their animals healthy.

Raw and unpasteurized milk and meat can spread bird flu to humans, but properly prepared foods are safe to eat.