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 we 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.