The departments are full of them sick songbirds suffering from a mysterious disease called magpie paralysis syndrome.
WA Wildlife CEO Dean Huxley said there is barely enough room for them all.
“We are forced to have multiple birds in the same enclosures,” he told the Australian Associated Press.
The magpies suffer from a condition that causes paralysis, including the inability to stand, fly or even lift their heads.
Since 2018, cases have been reported from Perth and the surrounding area, stretching from Augusta in the south-west corner to Geraldton.
But in the spring of 2024-2025 there was an alarming spike in presentations that has continued into this summer, with 65 birds currently in care.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, more than 30 magpies have died in a single backyard in Brisbane.
Kylie Conroy has seen 34 magpies die in and around her Inala backyard since mid-December, prompting her to post images on social media in search of answers.
She said that when she first contacted the RSPCA, she was initially told they could not help because the birds were already dead.
Later, after Conroy’s story went viral, an animal ambulance was sent to her home to pick up the sick and dying birds and take them to a biosafety facility for testing.
RSPCA Queensland has since ruled out the presence of HN51, or bird flu, which has spread to every continent except Australia.
The pathogen has killed hundreds of millions of birds worldwide.
Nevertheless, it is a development that Huxley is keeping a close eye on.
“So far we’ve only seen this in southwest Washington,” he said.
“The fact that we’re seeing it now on the East Coast is quite alarming.”
But there is no evidence that Brisbane’s birds are falling victim to the same disease that has paralyzed birds in Western Australia.
There is also not enough evidence to link it to the so-called black and white bird neurological syndrome, outbreaks of which occurred on the east coast of Australia in 2003 and the summer of 2005 to 2006.
That disease caused similar symptoms but was not limited to magpies and affected other black and white species, from the closely related pied currawong to the completely unrelated magpie lark.
Ongoing research
Despite ongoing research by Murdoch University, in collaboration with Wildlife Health Australia and others, it appears more is known about what the disease is not than what it actually is.
“They’ve ruled out some things, but that doesn’t mean they’re any closer to identifying the cause,” Huxley said.
He said phosphate and other forms of heavy metal poisoning have already been ruled out.
For a while it was suggested that a brain parasite was responsible, but not all affected birds had the disease.
It’s a process of elimination, and the best Huxley can say for now is that the range of possibilities has been narrowed.
Otherwise, he said, “we’re still no closer to identifying what it is.”
And while poisoning hasn’t been completely ruled out, he said it’s unlikely magpies will be affected in as wide an area as Western Australia.
That is not the case in Brisbane, where deaths are concentrated in a dense cluster in and around Conroy’s address.
She said the situation has now stabilised, there are no more sick magpies, and suspects other birds on her block have been poisoned.
She says that down the road a neighbor messaged her to say the magpies on her property were showing no signs of distress or illness.
Birds recover
Huxley said the magpies that come to his hospital have a good chance of survival with time and care, despite there being no known antibiotic or antiviral treatment for the birds.
“We just offer them a nice place to rest,” he says.
“We give them fluids and vitamins, and they generally resolve on their own in five to 12 days.
“So it’s something that their bodies, over time, can fight against, but if they’re left in the wild, they’re just deprived or succumb to the elements.”
In a statement, RSPCA Queensland advises anyone noticing unusual bird deaths to contact the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
It says people should avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife and ensure their pets do not touch or consume affected animals.
Signs of bird flu to look out for include lack of coordination, shaking or swimming in circles; twisted necks or unusual posture, and the inability to stand or fly.
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