Can you get bird flu from pulling weeds under a bird feeder?

Answer 1

It is possible. Bird flu can be caught from the feces, saliva, and nasal secretions of a diseased bird. If a bird with bird flu has defecated on the sprouted weeds, then it can be transmitted to you. The odds are slim though. Just do not touch any bird droppings with your bare hands and wash hands afterward.

Birds get this virus through direct contact with other birds or through contact with dirt, cages, water that other birds have drunk from, the birdbath, or from feed or feeders where they can have left saliva or other secretions that contain the virus. Bird flu is still very rare among humans, so, as mentioned above the odds are low. Still, consider wearing garden gloves for working with or around areas where birds spend time, and washing the gloves and your hands well immediately afterward.