More than 300 dead geese and other waterfowl have been discovered in five counties, and bird flu is likely to blame, officials say.

As it mutates, the bird flu has seemingly been able to infect other bird species, pets, other kinds of animals and, on rare occasions, humans.

As the bird flu continues to spread across the U.S., the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it is widespread among wild birds in the state, with more than 300 dead wild birds found in five counties suspected of being killed by the virus.

State wildlife officials are receiving reports of dead wild birds in southern Michigan during the current bird flu outbreak.

The largest concentrations of sick mergansers were found Saturday at North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach. Other birds with symptoms were reported from Hyde Park to Wilmette between Friday and Sunday.

Roughly 200-300 ducks have been found dead in Chicago and the northern suburbs around Lake Michigan in recent days, according to a new report from local news outlet NBC5. The red-breasted mergansers have died of suspected bird flu,