Bird Flu Detected in Hawk in Western Minnesota
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A hawk that recently died after it landed on the deck behind a home in western Minnesota has tested positive for the H5N2 virus. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it is the first wild bird to test positive for the avian flu that is spreading through commercial poultry flocks in many parts of the state. While scientists suspect the bird flu is being spread by wild birds, the DNR says the hawk discovery does not indicate the presence of the virus in wild birds is the direct cause of the bird flu crisis.
State officials announced Thursday that tests have identified three more presumed outbreaks in turkey flocks located in Stearns and Otter Tail Counties, raising the total number of turkeys in Minnesota killed by the virus or slated to be euthanized to nearly 4 million.
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