It is now believed that 53 finches imported from Taiwan were responsible for bringing a lethal strain of the bird flu virus to Britain last month, and not a parrot as reported at the time.
The British government today said tests show the Taiwanese birds, which died in a quarantine centre, were the most likely source of the virus.
Britain had reported last month that a parrot imported from South America and held in quarantine had been found to have had the deadly virus.
