Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50.54 mln U.S. birds, a record - Reuters

CHICAGO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Avian flu has wiped out 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the country's deadliest outbreak in history, U.S.

animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015.

Entire flocks, which can top a million birds at egg-laying chicken farms, are also culled to control the spread of the disease after a bird tests positive.

outbreak, which began in February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds across 46 states, USDA data show.

Wild birds like ducks transmit the virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), through their feces, feathers or direct contact with poultry.

"Wild birds continue to spread HPAI throughout the country as they migrate, so preventing contact between domestic flocks and wild birds is critical to protecting U.S.