A Downy Woodpecker feeds at one of the Jennings Environmental Center bird feeders earlier this year. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 2021

The state Game Commission is asking bird lovers to take down all bird feeders, birdbaths and any other feature that encourages songbirds to congregate.

The request is due to what is being called a “songbird mortality event” that originated in the Washington, D.C., area that causes neurological issues and a crusty discharge from the birds' eyes.

The unidentified illness, which results in death, is occurring mainly in blue jays, starlings and common grackles, but also robins and cardinals, according to the Game Commission website.

Rachel Handel, communications director at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said the society also is recommending people take their feeders down until scientists figure out the cause of the disease and how to deal with it.

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A Red-bellied Woodpecker feeds at one of the Jennings Environmental Center bird feeder earlier this year. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle

A White Breasted Nuthatch feeds at one of the Jennings Environmental Center bird feeders earlier this year. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle 2021