Bird flu found in dead swans recovered from Mather Lake, state wildlife officials say
Two swans found dead at Mather Lake in November have tested positive for bird flu, said state fish and wildlife officials.
The mute swans’ carcasses were recovered Nov. 26 from Mather Lake at Mather Regional Park by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Analysts at the agency had suspected the birds carried avian influenza, said Peter Tira, a department spokesman.
Tira said Fish and Wildlife sees a peak in avian influenza cases among wild birds in the fall, the cases coinciding with fall migrations of waterfowl into California.
Mute swans are especially vulnerable to the virus, Tira said Tuesday. Avian influenza, or bird flu, is often fatal in birds and is mainly spread by wild birds, especially ducks and geese.
“Mute swans are particularly susceptible,” Tira said via email. “They are a nonnative, invasive species that don’t migrate or fly great distances and tend to congregate in park ponds and the like, which make them especially susceptible to the disease.”
More than 30 swans were discovered dead at Mather Regional Park in early December, forcing Sacramento County officials to temporarily close the park as state fish and wildlife officials conducted tests to determine what felled the birds.
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