Avian Bird Flu

What should I do if I find a number of dead birds?

If you find one or more dead swans, more than three dead birds of the same species or more than five dead birds of different species, in the same place, you should contact the Defra Helpline (08459 33 55 77). You will be asked for details of your finding and its location.

Do I need to report single dead birds?

For Avian Influenza monitoring Government vets are in most cases, looking for incidents of mortality affecting significant numbers of birds at the same time in the same place; however single or multiple deaths of swans are of interest. A wild bird die off is characterised by an unusual number of wild bird deaths in one area. The usual number of deaths depends on several things; for example, more deaths will be expected if the bird population is high, food is scarce or if the weather is bad. An unusually high number of deaths generally involves several birds of one species, or a larger number of birds from several species.