First wild bird with avian flu confirmed in Yellow Medicine County in Minn.

ST. PAUL — A Cooper’s hawk from Yellow Medicine County is the first Minnesota wild bird to test positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza HPAI virus that has infected poultry farms across Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday morning.

The Cooper’s Hawk was recovered April 14 after it flew on to the deck of a home in St. Leo in the western portion of the county and died. DNR wildlife staff collected the adult female hawk and sent it to the National Wildlife Health Center laboratory in Madison, Wis., for HPAI testing.

Yellow Medicine County does not have any infected poultry barns, but nearby Lyon County does, according to the DNR.

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/region/3734733-first-wild-bird-avian-flu-confirmed-yellow-medicine-county-minn