Rising case numbers and dozens of dead birds in Thames Valley raise fears spread is wider than recorded
Members of the public and charity volunteers are working to contain a suspected outbreak of bird flu among swans in the Thames Valley, amid signs that confirmed cases are continuing to rise.
Since October, 324 cases of bird flu in swans have been recorded by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha), which is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Of these, 39 were recorded in the first four weeks of 2026 alone.
However, there is growing concern that official figures might underestimate the true scale of the outbreak. The animal charity Swan Support said 46 dead swans had been found in the borough of Windsor and Maidenhead since 17 January, along with a further 26 in Newbury. Two swans were discovered dead in Windsor on Thursday, with three more found on Friday in the Berkshire village of Hurley.
Wendy Hermon, the operations director at Swan Support, said the birds had been found “spinning around in circles [and] bleeding from the eyes”, as well as appearing lethargic, prompting suspicion that bird flu might be the cause.
