Australia is on high alert after a second bird tested positive for a deadly strain of avian flu, raising concerns the virus may be spreading in remote locations.
A brown skua and a northern giant petrel had tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the flu after they were found in Western Australia, federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins confirmed on Monday.
There has been no evidence of mass mortalities among birds, with both animals discovered on a remote beach in Esperance, about 700km southeast of Perth.
"We are working to determine whether or not the H5 bird flu has established in the wildlife or established in Australia, other than these two isolated birds," Ms Collins told reporters.
The poultry and agricultural sectors are free from the flu, with samples of the infected birds to be investigated over the next week.
