Birds

The recent uptick in avian flu is not only affecting industrial chickens, eggs and cattle. It’s also harming wild birds.

Wisconsin wildlife officials have identified the highly contagious avian influenza virus in wild ducks along Lake Michigan.

The Milwaukee County Zoo is closing its aviary for “the foreseeable future” as a precaution against highly contagious avian flu, the zoo announced Thursday.

For those lucky enough to spot a snowy owl this winter, experts say the best approach is to enjoy the rare sighting from afar and allow these birds to continue their journey undisturbed.

DNR conservation biologist Ryan Brady Brady joined WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show” to talk about the breeding and predation habits of snowy owls, as well as the threats they during their long journey and time here in Wisconsin.

Passenger pigeons have been extinct for over a century, but conservation groups want to bring them back for their role in forestry management. Their hordes were thought to create exceptionally green forests and fertile farmland.

As migrating birds fly south through Wisconsin, they encounter hazards that can be fatal – such as cats, wind turbines and windows.  

Bird enthusiasts have gathered in the same spot on the shores of Lake Superior for over 25 years to see migrating parasitic jaegers.

A committee of lawmakers, conservationists and farmers met for the first time Thursday to study ways to manage Wisconsin’s population of sandhill cranes as their numbers have grown.

State regulators are recommending a solar developer scale back its plans for the roughly $2 billion Vista Sands Solar project in Portage County to protect Wisconsin’s greater prairie-chicken population.