New Zealand officials confirmed Friday that a native bird has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, just days after the country recorded its very first case of the disease.
The infected bird is a swamp harrier hawk — called a kahu in the local Maori language — that was discovered in the Wairarapa region of the North Island. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard announced the finding in an official statement.
New Zealand’s initial bird flu detection was reported on Wednesday, when a brown skua found near Wellington tested positive — the country’s first ever confirmed case of the disease.
“While it’s disappointing to find a native bird with H5 bird flu, it’s not unexpected following the confirmation earlier this week of our first case,” Hoggard said.
He also explained how the hawk likely came into contact with the virus. “This hawk can go out to the coast — especially in winter to hunt. Hawks can get bird flu by hunting, eating, or scavenging infected birds,” Hoggard said.
Officials noted that no cases of bird flu have been detected in any poultry at this time.
As a precautionary measure, health officials have begun vaccinating 300 core breeding birds from five of the nation’s most at-risk endangered species, which include the flightless takahe and kakapo.
The developments follow a similar situation in Australia, which earlier this month reported its first bird flu case in a local seabird. Prior to that, all confirmed Australian cases had involved migratory birds passing through the region.
