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Dubai: The thousands of wild birds flying into the UAE so far have not brought bird flu with them, even as countries in Europe and Africa confirm new cases in birds and poultry. About 360 migratory bird species pass through and over the UAE every spring and autumn on their way to and from Africa and Europe, according to a popular guide to UAE wild birds. The UAE lies within two major migratory routes between the continents. Peter Hellyer, founder member of the Emirates Bird Records Committee, said more than 50 resident and visiting bird enthusiasts here have been on the look out for any "unusual patterns of behaviour" in wild birds from Khor Kalba in the south to Dibba in the north. "So far they haven't reported any unusual signs of illness [which could signal a bird flu infection]," he told Gulf News over the telephone.
He added that the bird watchers have been turning in almost daily reports on wild bird activities. However, Hellyer could not provide a generalisation of the unusual signs in wild birds as they varied from species to species. Dead or dying birds were not necessarily an unusual sign, he cautioned, saying residents should not panic every time they find a dead bird. "Birds die all the time of a variety of causes. They get old and die. Some can die of exhaustion they fly thousands of miles and if they don't get something to eat, they die," he said. In the past months, dead birds found in the UAE have prompted a scare among residents. The most recent example was the two dead seagulls found on the eastern shores of the UAE last week, reported by a section of the local media. Tests found the birds had died of natural causes.
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