Researchers concerned after endangered whooping cranes test positive for bird flu

By Canadian Press on January 14, 2026.

SASKATOON — A wildlife biologist says it’s deeply concerning that two dead critically endangered birds have tested positive for the avian flu.

Mark Bidwell with the Canadian Wildlife Service says the deaths in Saskatchewan mark the first time the highly pathogenic virus has been detected in the wild population of whooping cranes.

Bidwell says he and his team discovered the first dead whooping crane in a town east of Saskatoon, after noticing the tracker on the two-year-old female hadn’t moved in a few days.

The bird and a second whooping crane carcass, found 100 kilometres away, tested positive for the virus in November.

He says there are only about 550 whooping cranes in the world and they migrate between the Northwest Territories, through the Prairie provinces, and Texas.

Bidwell says researchers are on the ground trying to confirm whether the flu has spread to other whooping cranes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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