The bird migration route that stretches from Canada to the Caribbean brings millions of feathered visitors to Florida in the fall.
But this season, agriculture and wildlife officials fear the famous Atlantic Flyway will bring something else: Bird flu.
The lethal strain of avian influenza that has swept western and Midwestern states, leading to the mass-killing of nearly 50 million farm-raised chickens and turkeys, has been steadily spreading east. State and federal officials are preparing for the two viruses involved to enter the Atlantic Flyway and reach Florida.
"The viruses are expected to be found in the Atlantic Flyway later this year," wrote Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in a report to the commission.