ALGONA, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH)— The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has detected a second outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in a Kossuth County mixed-species flock in a week. A spokesperson with IDALS said the flock had about 25,000 birds. The outbreak occurred at a mixed-species game bird hatchery and included pheasants, quails and chukars, a game bird in the pheasant family. The previous bird flu detection in Kossuth County occurred Thursday in a flock of chickens and game-bird pheasants and affected about 7,120 birds. The spokesperson could not disclose if the outbreaks occurred at the same facilities.

This is the second, 2026 outbreak of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu in Iowa. Since the start of the current outbreak, which began in 2022, more than 186 million domestic birds, nationally, have been affected by the strain of the virus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The current public health risk of the highly pathogenic avian influenza is low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the flu is not currently known to spread between humans.

IDALS urges livestock producers to “continue bolstering” biosecurity measures on their operations to prevent future outbreaks. Additionally, producers who detect symptoms like lethargy, a sudden increase in deaths, swollen heads, or difficulty breathing in their flocks, should contact their veterinarians immediately. The highly pathogenic avian influenza has also been detected in wild birds in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources urges Iowans who notice 20 or more sick or dead birds in an area to contact the department.