Subject: Large-billed Crow and H5N1 [Print This Page] Author: wcaptain Time: 21/01/2011 16:36 Subject: Large-billed Crow and H5N1
Recorded location = Tai O. Probably this bird is the victim of H5N1 discarded chicken. Remember the H5N1 chicken found on a beach near Sha Lo Wan near Tung Chung a couple of months ago? This Large billed Crow may not be able to resist temptation of contaminated dead chicken at this part of Lantau and got the disease.
According to WHO website (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/a ... /index.html#whatare): "The highly pathogenic form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.", so I think the bird maybe infected by another H5N1 source.
[ Last edited by Sze at 24/01/2011 01:58 ] Author: ajohn Time: 24/01/2011 09:57
If dead chickens with H5N1 have washed up on the North Lantau coast, I agree with Captain that this is the most likely source. Although the time lag since the bird Captain mentions seems a long time, there have previously been similar dead birds (dead geese?) washed up on north Lantau. Dead birds like this would be an irresistable food source for crows.
Previous reports from Hong Kong have shown that scavengers such as corvids are particularly prone to H5N1 here - it is likely that these birds regularly pick up H5N1 from dead birds. Most wild species show no evidence of carrying the disease. Author: Sze Time: 25/01/2011 02:14
John! Thanks for your information! Author: Sze Time: 27/01/2011 01:17
紅嘴鷗屍禽流感病毒呈陽性反應
Black-headed tests positive for H5 virus.
The bird carcass was collected at 81 SOUTH PERIMETER ROAD, Lantau on January 24.
Of ocurse, not the infected chicken in last yr. I guess such infected chicken are regularly washed up on the NW coast of Lantau. So those unreported infected chicken could be the primarily source of H5N1 birds.
I did a short analysis of H5N1 birds in 2006-2008 and agreed that small caged birds/scavengers/raptors are mostly associated with H5N1 in urban areas or non-wetland areas.
Captain
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