an acute, usually fatal viral disease of chickens and other domestic and wild birds except pigeons, characterized by sudden onset of symptoms including fever, swollen head and neck, bluish-black comb and wattle, and difficult respiration.
Main Entry: avian influenza Function: noun : any of several highly variable diseases of domestic and wild birds that are caused by orthomyxoviruses and characterizedusually by respiratory symptoms but sometimes by gastrointestinal, integumentary, and urogenital symptoms called also fowl plague
