New H5N6 bird flu reported among swans in China's Xinjiang - Ministry

The Chinese ministry of agriculture on Tuesday announced that it had detected a highly deadly strain of H5N6 avian flu among swans in the western Xinjiang region. According to the ministry, 19 swans have already died in the Xinjiang reservoir that houses close to 150 swans.

Avian flu outbreak at Xinjiang

Reports indicate that this recent case is the fourth such outbreak this month of the deadly strain in Xinjiang. The local administration in Xinjiang has worked hard in an attempt to convert what was previously farmland back into a natural habitat for swans. The region's wetlands that form the natural habitat for the swans have almost doubled in recent years to 11,000 hectares. They have come to become important wintering grounds for swans and other species of waterbirds according to reports.

In the 1980s swan population was estimated at over 20,000 but over the years the swan population has greatly reduced to only 2,000 in 2001. Last year the Manas National Wetland Park in Xinjiang welcomed a record-breaking 810 whooper swans as a result of its environmental improvements.

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Whooper swans that are found in the reservoir are also called common swan and is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the trumpeter swan. Whooper swans require large water bodies to live in, especially when they are still growing. The whooper swan spends a lot of its time swimming and rarely comes on land without reason. Despite their size, these type of swans have a deep honking call and are powerful fliers. 

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(with inputs from agencies)