Bird flu spreads mainly through contact: with an infected bird, its droppings, or anything a sick bird has touched.
If you keep chickens, run a food business, or just noticed a dead gull on the beach, that’s the mechanism behind it.
Avian influenza mainly infects birds, though it can occasionally cross into other animals too.
How bird flu spreads between birds – Guide by experienced bird controllers
Avian influenza spreads mainly through direct or indirect contact with infected saliva, nasal secretions or droppings.
A healthy bird sharing water, feed or a roost with an infected one picks up the virus easily.
Predation and scavenging spread it too: a fox, gull or bird of prey eating an infected animal can pick up the bird flu virus in the process.
Contaminated vehicles, clothing, footwear and equipment carry it between sites even without any bird-to-bird contact at all.
The wild bird reservoir
Wild waterfowl, ducks, geese and swans, along with seabirds like gulls and terns, plus wading birds, are the natural reservoir for avian influenza viruses.
Migration is how the virus crosses borders: a bird can pick it up abroad and carry it into the UK on its normal seasonal route, or catch it here from birds and contaminated ground already present.
How long the virus survives outside a bird
Cold weather helps the virus survive, and in water it can stay infective for weeks to months, longer in cold, fresh water than warm or salt water.
On surfaces, H5N1 can last around two weeks at cold temperatures but only about a day at room temperature.
In droppings, survival ranges from under a day in summer heat to roughly eight weeks at fridge-cold temperatures. That extended cold-weather survival is a large part of why outbreaks and housing orders cluster through autumn and winter.
Symptoms of bird flu in birds
Sudden death is often the first visible sign in a flock, since bird flu can cause severe disease before other symptoms appear.
Where symptoms of bird flu do show, they include swollen head, closed or watery eyes, acute respiratory distress, lethargy, reduced appetite, and a drop in egg production.
Backyard birds and garden birds are just as susceptible as commercial flocks, so if you keep even a handful of birds yourself, watch for these signs among your own flock as well as infected wild birds nearby.
The current situation in the UK and Scotland
The strain behind the bird flu outbreak affecting the UK since summer 2021 is Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), specifically H5N1, and it causes severe disease with high mortality in birds.
Avian influenza is caused by an influenza A virus, part of a wider family of flu viruses that also includes the seasonal flu people catch each winter.
No housing order is currently in force anywhere in Great Britain, after mandatory housing measures were lifted on 9 April 2026 and Great Britain self-declared freedom from HPAI on 18 May 2026, with the last GB-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone lifted on 4 June 2026.
Birds still need housing in a protection zone or controlled zone, and mandatory biosecurity measures remain a legal requirement across England, Scotland and Wales regardless of zone status.
Based on past seasons, a new housing order is most likely around early November.
Scotland’s specific requirements
Every bird keeper in Scotland must register on the Scottish Kept Bird Register, a separate legal requirement from the GB-wide Poultry Register.
Scottish Government guidance recommends fencing, netting or draining ponds and standing water, deterring wild birds from the area, and disinfecting footwear, equipment and vehicles with an approved foot-dip.
Since October 2024, anyone keeping poultry or other captive birds in Great Britain must register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, regardless of flock size.
The threshold used to be 50 birds, now it’s one.
Bird flu in humans
The UK Health Security Agency assesses human infection with avian influenza as rare and a very low public health risk, and the UK’s most recent human case involved close contact with infected birds over a prolonged period on a farm.
Despite extensive surveillance, no human-to-human transmission has been demonstrated, and UKHSA’s advice is to avoid touching sick or dead wild birds yourself, and to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) if you’re working at a suspected infected premises.
Bird flu has crossed into other animals too
In the United States, H5N1 has been detected spreading among dairy cattle.
Pasteurisation kills the virus in milk, so pasteurised dairy products remain safe.
The US dairy cattle outbreak hasn’t been confirmed in the UK, but it shows why scientists watch the virus closely for changes that could widen its host range.
What to do if you find a dead wild bird
Report 1 or more dead birds of prey or owls, 3 or more dead gulls or waterfowl, or 5 or more dead birds of any other species to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77, which covers reporting across Great Britain including Scotland.
Don’t touch or move the bird yourself.
How to prevent bird flu spreading onto your property
Official biosecurity guidance from DEFRA and the Scottish Government centres on one idea: keep wild birds and poultry apart wherever possible.
Netting or housing captive birds, keeping feed inaccessible to wild birds, and reducing anything that draws wild birds onto a site are the standard measures.
For food businesses, farms and anyone keeping birds, that’s exactly the kind of proofing work we do: netting, spikes and deterrents that stop pigeons and gulls accessing a roof, yard or feed store.
Our part is the preventative work, keeping wild birds off a site before there’s a problem to manage.
Treating sick birds or responding to an active outbreak is a job for a vet or APHA.
You can also call the SPCA, RSPCA, or USPCA if you find an injured bird rather than a sick bird.
Bird flu: your questions answered
Does bird flu spread by eating chicken or eggs?
No. The risk comes from contact with live or dead infected birds and their droppings. Cooking kills the virus, so properly prepared poultry and eggs are safe to eat.
Can bird flu spread between people?
No human-to-human transmission has been demonstrated in the UK despite extensive monitoring, and UKHSA rates the risk to the general public as very low.
What are the first signs of bird flu in birds?
Sudden death without warning, covered above, is usually the first sign, with respiratory distress and swelling around the head following in birds that survive longer.
Should I be worried about bird flu?
For most people, no. The general public risk is very low, and the main precaution is simple: don’t touch sick or dead wild birds, and wash your hands after any contact with bird droppings or feeders.
What should I do if I find a dead wild bird?
Don’t touch it. Report 1 or more dead birds of prey, 3 or more dead gulls or waterfowl, or 5 or more of any other species to the Defra emergency animal disease hotline on 03459 33 55 77.
For effective bird proofing measures, talk to Edinburgh Pest Control Co today
If wild birds are getting onto your roof, yard or feed store and you’d rather stop the problem before it starts, call us on 0131 322 1291 or get in touch through our contact page.
We prevent birds from nesting to protect buildings, people, and livestock.
Contact our team today to learn more.
