{"id":14543,"date":"2022-05-27T15:32:10","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T19:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/?page_id=14543"},"modified":"2026-03-25T15:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:05:56","slug":"highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/njfw\/highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza\/","title":{"rendered":"HPAI – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

FAQ’s<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Information for Hunters<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Municipal and County Resources<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

Suspected HPAI Update<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is a list of municipalities with suspected cases of Avian Influenza in wild birds, since August 1, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bird Mortalities by County<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

(Incidents of 20 or more)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

County<\/th>Municipality<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Atlantic<\/td>Brigantine, Evesham, Florence, Folsom, Galloway, Hainesport, Hammonton, Pemberton<\/td><\/tr>
Bergen<\/td>Little Ferry<\/td><\/tr>
Burlington<\/td>Burlington City, Evesham, Florence, Hainesport, Lumberton, North Hanover, Pemberton, Shamong, Southampton<\/td><\/tr>
Camden<\/td>Gloucester City, Sicklerville, Winslow, Pine Hill<\/td><\/tr>
Cape May<\/td>Upper Township<\/td><\/tr>
Cumberland<\/td>Greenwich, Stow Creek, Vineland<\/td><\/tr>
Essex<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Gloucester<\/td>Camden, Elk, Franklin, Mantua, Pittman, Washington, West Deptford<\/td><\/tr>
Hudson<\/td>Secaucus<\/td><\/tr>
Hunterdon<\/td>Franklin<\/td><\/tr>
Mercer<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Middlesex<\/td>Cranbury, East Brunswick, Edison, Milltown, Monroe, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Spotswood<\/td><\/tr>
Monmouth<\/td>Allentown, Belmar, Colts Neck, Holmdel, Howell, Keansburg, Lincroft, Little Silver, Manalapan, Matawan, Middletown, Millstone, Spring Lake, Union Beach, Upper Freehold, Wall<\/td><\/tr>
Morris<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Ocean<\/td>Barnegat Light, Brick<\/td><\/tr>
Passaic<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Salem<\/td>Lower Alloway, Woodstown<\/td><\/tr>
Somerset<\/td>Basking Ridge, Bernards, Bridgewater<\/td><\/tr>
Sussex<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Union<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Warren<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n

FAQ’s<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is HPAI?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)<\/strong>, or \u201cbird flu,\u201d is a respiratory disease of birds caused by influenza A viruses. Wild birds, such as ducks, gulls, and shorebirds, can carry and spread these viruses but may show no signs of illness. However, avian influenza can kill domestic poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese). Typical clinical signs of HPAI include diarrhea, discharge from the nose, coughing, sneezing, and incoordination, but some birds may show no signs before death. There may be multiple sick or dead animals in a single location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avian Influenza continues to infect wild birds and mammals across the US. Avian influenza is caused by an influenza type A virus that is carried by free-flying waterfowl, waterbirds, and shorebirds, but can also infect domestic poultry (chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl), raptors, corvids, and mammals.  Some infected wild birds can carry these viruses without getting sick, but domestic poultry and many species of wild birds, particularly raptors and corvids, can get very sick and often rapidly die from these viruses. Songbirds and other passerine birds do not appear to be highly susceptible to infection at this time. For prompt early detection, New Jersey DEP Fish and Wildlife focuses surveillance efforts on large mortality events in wild birds. At this time, we will not routinely test individual birds found dead but are focused on highly susceptible and imperiled wildlife species including bald eagles. Once the presence of the virus has been established in an area, additional testing may not be necessary.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly susceptible species include waterfowl (wild ducks, geese, swans), raptors (eagles, falcons, owls, hawks), scavengers (vultures, crows, ravens), gulls and other waterbirds. Songbirds, including cardinals and robins, are not considered to be highly susceptible to HPAI. Wild birds are susceptible to several diseases in addition to avian influenza including West Nile virus, mycoplasmosis, aspergillosis, and botulism, that can cause mortality. Wildlife mortality can be natural and not always due to an infectious disease. Wild birds, including waterfowl and shorebirds, are considered natural carriers of avian influenza. Since the beginning of the U.S. outbreak in January 2022, avian influenza\u202fhas impacted wild and domestic birds in every state. \u202fOccurrences can be monitored here: USDA APHIS | 2022 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza<\/a> <\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent Detections of HPAI by County<\/h4>\n\n\n\n