Another bird in Hong Kong has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, authorities said Friday.

A long-tailed shrike found dead on March 3 in the densely populated Hung Hom district was confirmed with the disease by the government´s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

It is the latest in a series of cases in which wild birds have been found to be infected with the virus, which has killed more than 160 people worldwide since 2003.

Wild migratory birds have been blamed for the global spread of the disease.

Biologists believe local species of wild birds found dead with the virus could have picked it up from contact with infected flocks in mainland China, where it is believed the strain first mutated into a form deadly to humans.