Bird flu has killed at least four snowy owls in Massachusetts in recent weeks, adding the graceful white and black-patterned predators to its victims as it sweeps through the wild bird population.

Rising numbers of great-horned owls, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks have been getting sick and dying of bird flu this winter as the virus continues to mutate and circulate in North American wildlife.

A great horned owl found dead in Cary tested positive for bird flu after a resident reported seeing multiple bird carcasses by their pond. The owl was collected by the state on Feb. 11, and the test result came back Tuesday. It’s the first case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in a wild animal in Wake County since 2023.

Owl tests positive for bird flu in Wake County