bird flu

British

noun

Also called: avian flu. a form of influenza occurring in poultry mainly in Japan, China and Southeast Asia, caused by a virus capable of spreading to humans

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"When the real culprit turned out to be bird flu, everyone in the field was caught completely by surprise. We hadn't even remotely considered that cattle could be a host for H5N1."

From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026

When H5N1 bird flu began infecting U.S. dairy cattle in early 2024, veterinarians struggled to identify the cause.

From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026

Australia was previously the only continent where the H5N1 bird flu strain had not been found.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

The gannet colony was devastated by bird flu in 2022/23 but researchers have since said populations are recovering.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The WHO tries to keep tabs on these things, listing things like bird flu, Ebola, Nipah, Lassa and yes, hantavirus, as top-ranking threats to global health.

From Salon • May 11, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023