There is likely no nation more enamoured with birds than New Zealand; bird song marks 7 a.m. on public radio, its people describe themselves as Kiwis (after the native flightless bird), and every year one species is crowned the Bird of the Year in a popular vote.
So, the discovery last week of two birds infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has rattled nerves. Millions of birds worldwide have died after becoming infected with the strain, and bird lovers worry it could pose an extinction risk to some of the South Pacific nation’s most prized natural treasures.
One of the last large landmasses inhabited by humans, New Zealand’s isolated islands had no predatory…