bird flu

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Shoebill. A Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex), aka 'Whalehead' standing in shallow marsh. Resides in tropical East Africa. A very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.

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Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

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Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

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Nelson Mandela, undated photo.

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Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

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Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

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Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

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bird flu: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025

News •

Egg prices for consumers fell to 5-month low in May. Here's why. • June 12, 2025, 7:08 AM ET (CBS)

H5N1 bird flu ‘capable of airborne transmission’ • June 11, 2025, 12:08 AM ET (The Telegraph)

Bird flu can live in raw milk for more than a week, study finds • June 6, 2025, 9:18 AM ET (The Hill)

Racing to Save California’s Elephant Seals From Bird Flu • June 3, 2025, 9:26 AM ET (New York Times)

Cambodia reports 11-year-old boy is country's fourth bird flu death this year • May 28, 2025, 6:38 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	avian influenza

Topics

fowl plague bird influenza type A virus H5N1 virus poultry disease AIDS malaria polio tuberculosis plague Ebola influenza smallpox hepatitis yellow fever

Key People

Chan, Margaret

Margaret Chan

Chinese civil servant

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