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Are Bird Droppings Toxic?

Many types of birds flock and roost together, leading to a large amount of bird droppings accumulating in a small area. This is most common with pigeons, starlings and chickens. Concerns about the safety of such a large amount of waste are understandable. However, while a large concentration of droppings can foster disease, certain conditions must exist before there is danger.

  1. Conditions

    • The Centers for Disease Control reports that fresh droppings usually are not toxic. It is the accumulation of droppings under a roosting site that provides an environment for toxic fungal diseases to grow. The concentration must be quite large and usually will have accumulated over a period of years. The fungal spores must become airborne to be inhaled by humans, and this generally happens only when the droppings are disturbed. This makes clean-up of large amounts of droppings a likely time for exposure.

    Histoplasmosis

    • Histoplasmosis is a fungal disease and spores of the fungus must be inhaled for exposure. Infection is generally mild with occasional flu-like symptoms. Extreme cases can cause high fever, pneumonia and death. There is also a strain of histoplasmosis that affects the eyes. The spores, once airborne, can travel long distances with the wind. Spores are usually disturbed by cleaning, excavation or construction. Large outbreaks of histoplasmosis have been reported rarely.

    Cryptococcosis

    • Cryptococcosis is another fungal infection that grows in bird droppings -- particularly those of pigeons and chickens. Like histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis must be inhaled for infection. However, widespread infections from a single site have not been reported. Symptoms are typically mild, although they can be serious for people with suppressed immune systems. It causes lung infections that can spread and are fatal if not treated. There is also a less common strain that affects the skin.

    Other Diseases

    • Two other much less common diseases are psittacosis and toxoplasmosis. Psittacosis is a bacteria that is found in the droppings of some birds. The bacteria can be spread to humans and causes fever, coughing, joint pain and headache. Toxoplasmosis, a parasite, can occasionally be present in bird droppings. Exposure is due to careless handling of waste and the development time is one to two weeks. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache and muscle or joint pain.

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