A common call that is not really pest control
Pigeons and gulls that die on roofs and in gardens, or a blackbird found on a lawn, often lead to a call to a pest controller. The official guidance handles dead wild birds through disease reporting and waste rules. This article summarises GOV.UK pages on reporting dead wild birds (last updated 17 May 2024) and on removing and disposing of them (published 13 December 2022 and marked as applying to England), together with the Scottish Government page on dead or sick wild birds. The GOV.UK reporting service applies to England, Scotland and Wales; the removal guidance is for England, and Scotland and Wales have their own pages. Northern Ireland has separate guidance that is not covered here.
Do not touch a dead bird
GOV.UK says not to touch dead wild birds and to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching any dead birds, droppings, feathers or material that has touched the dead bird. The Scottish Government gives the same core advice: do not touch or pick up dead or visibly sick birds, because wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people.
What to report, and how
GOV.UK offers an online service and a telephone line, 03459 33 55 77, to report dead wild birds. The service asks where the birds were found, what type, how many and the reporter’s contact details, and it says reports help to show how diseases are spreading. Reported birds may be collected and tested for bird flu or another cause of death, but not all dead wild birds are collected.
The Scottish Government page says that in Scotland a report should be made where a single dead bird of prey, swan, goose, duck, gull or blackbird is found, or five or more dead wild birds of any other species. The telephone line is the route for anyone who does not want to give contact details, and callers must be 18 or over. The GOV.UK page notes that the type and number of birds to report was updated on 15 February 2023, so the current form is the place to check what applies.
Who removes the bird
According to the England guidance, a bird on public land is a matter for the local authority, and a bird on private land or a managed estate is a matter for the landowner or land manager. Local authorities, landowners and land managers must remove dead wild birds if they are a risk to human health. They should also consider removal if the birds are on residential premises, in an area used by children or pets, on a public right of way, in an area where wild birds regularly feed, breed or roost, or where animals are likely to scavenge them. They must cover the costs, and they can use specialist waste contractors. Birds suspected of carrying disease such as bird flu, or found where bird flu has been confirmed, must be disposed of as a category 1 animal by-product.
Disposing of a few dead garden birds
For small numbers of dead garden birds at a domestic home in England, the guidance allows disposal in household or municipal waste or by burial, and it invites reports to Garden Wildlife Health. For household waste, the steps are:
- Pick the bird up wearing disposable gloves or a plastic bag over the hand.
- Put it in a plastic bag and tie it, ensuring the bird does not touch the outside of the bag.
- Place that bag in a second, preferably leak-proof, bag with the gloves or bag used, and tie it.
- Put it in the outside household waste bin, then wash hands thoroughly.
For burial, the guidance says to dig a hole at least 60 centimetres deep, not bury the bird in a plastic bag, and keep clear of watercourses and places that could contaminate water supplies. The Scottish page gives similar bagging and burial advice for dead wild birds found on private property, but recommends leaving a dead bird where it lies if possible.
Large numbers of birds
The England guidance says large numbers of dead wild birds at a home should be reported because bird flu is more likely when many birds die in the same area. If they are not collected within four days and removal is wanted, a specialist waste contractor can be asked, and the local authority may be able to help.
Suspected poisoning or wildlife crime
The GOV.UK reporting page says that if the birds are suspected to have died from wildlife crime they must be reported to the police, and that suspected poisoning from pesticides or rodenticides should be reported to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme on 0800 321 600. Rules on who may use rat poison are set out in Rodenticide Rules: Why Professional Rat Poison Access Differs From What You Can Buy. Roosting birds on buildings are dealt with in Pigeons on Buildings: Lawful Proofing and Specialist Cleaning Questions, and a related bird-flu matter for poultry keepers appears in Keeping Chickens and Controlling Rats: What Government Bird Flu Guidance and HSE Say in England.
The bottom line
Dead wild birds are not to be handled with bare hands. Reporting goes through the GOV.UK service or the 03459 33 55 77 helpline, and Scotland’s Government lists which birds to report. Responsibility for removal depends on the land: local authorities for public land and owners or managers for private land, with a household able to bin or bury a small number of dead garden birds in England by following the bagging and burial steps. Suspected poisoning goes to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, and suspected wildlife crime goes to the police.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency, “Report dead wild birds”
- GOV.UK, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency, “Removing and disposing of dead wild birds”
- Scottish Government, “Dead or sick wild birds or animals: what to do” (Avian influenza (bird flu): how to spot and report the disease) (gov.scot)