WHAT IS AVIAN BOTULISM? 



Avian botulism, or Western duck sickness, is one of the three most important disease 

 problems of wild migratory birds. Each year, many birds are paralyzed or die after exposure 

 to a toxin produced by the botulinum bacterium. Two of the seven toxin types that have 

 been identified commonly cause mortality in wild birds; one of these, type C, is most often 

 associated with dieoffs of ducks, while type E primarily affects gulls and loons. 



