Transmission has largely been documented in poultry. While hummingbirds are likely safe, bird feeders could attract infected waterfowl.

If you have a backyard birth feeder and bird bath, it’s a good idea to take them down. That’s according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The agency also recommends not feeding ducks and other waterfowl that flock at area parks.

Bird flu, or avian influenza is now sickening wild birds. As a result, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota is sounding the alarm.

The avian bird flu is spreading rapidly across our region. Thursday, thousands of birds were found dead in a local pond and now several facilities in a our area are warning people of what to look out for.

The general public, however, can continue using bird feeders, Hofmann said. Delaware bird feeders typically attract cardinals, chickadees, titmice and other songbirds, while bird flu is usually found in waterfowl, raptors and vultures.

The warning comes in the wake of multiple feline deaths in the region, including an outbreak at a Mason County animal sanctuary. Twenty big cats died from symptoms related to avian flu in December. The disease is carried by wild birds and if cats are infected it is often deadly.

Samples taken from the first patient who died from bird flu show that a strain of the virus has “mutated” to infect humans more effectively. A patient - hospitalised last month in Louisiana - died after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza infected the individual.