IDNR said the dead birds, mostly snow geese, were found at Rend Lake, Carlyle Lake, Baldwin Lake and Pyramid State Recreation Area.
Anyone who comes across 20 birds or more dead in a single location is urged to contact a state wildlife biologist.
Hunters are urged to avoid handling sick or dead waterfowl they find. This includes keeping their hunting dogs and other pets away from eating birds that have died from unknown causes.
The first case of HPAI was reported in March when wild Canada geese in northern Illinois were submitted for sampling. Cases have also been detected in domestic poultry flocks in the Midwest, resulting in those flocks having to be destroyed.
The department said it will continue to monitor for ongoing outbreaks of bird flu during the fall bird migration.
(Photo IDNR Facebook)
On the Net:
IDNR Facebook post about dead birds
