The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a new manual on "Wild Birds and Avian Influenza: an introduction to applied field research and disease sampling techniques".

The manual aims to support field efforts with regard to the study of bird populations and ecological aspects of avian influenza viruses. The topics covered in the publication address monitoring technologies and sampling techniques, wild bird surveillance as well as some features of habitat use and migration ecology, which are important aspects of wildlife and disease ecology.

The manual is a collaborative effort between the FAO, the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development of France (CIRAD), BirdLife International, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, United States Geological Survey (USGS ), Wetlands International, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, UK (WWT) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The manual can be downloaded here or go to the FAO Webpage http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/resources/en/manuals/manual5.pdf