Agriculture officials at the state and federal level are tracking avian flu outbreaks at two commercial poultry facilities in Sonoma County. 

According to the US Department of Agriculture, over 250,000 birds have been affected across the two sites: Sunrise Farms and Reichardt Duck Farm, both outside Petaluma.

"So it's not anything that is tremendously new and it's run the gamut across the nation," said Sonoma County Farm Bureau Director Dayna Ghirardelli. "It's been a threat for poultry operations. This is not a human health threat, so that's a good thing."

The highly pathogenic avian flu often originates from migratory waterfowl coming into contact with domestic flocks. But it's a serious risk to commercial and domestic poultry. The USDA has reported 63 backyard flock outbreaks in the US in the past three months, along with 78 outbreaks in commercial flocks.

Infected birds, or even whole flocks, are often euthanized to prevent further spread.

The outbreak amongst the Reichardt duck flock, affecting 169,000 birds, was first reported November 27.

The outbreak amongst 82,000 egg laying hens at Sunrise was reported November 30th.

Both Sunrise and Reichardt farms have been the target of recent clandestine investigations into potential animal cruelty by activists with the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, or DXE. Ghirardelli said that's raised alarm bells for her.

"We know that [DXE] been in the Reichardt Duck farm. It's been announced. It's shown on social media. It's kind of hard to deny that the incubation period between their entry and when the infection was recognized are linked," said Ghirardelli.

Despite the overlapping timelines, Ghirardelli noted that a full investigation will determine the true cause of the outbreaks.

DXE has denied allegations that activists are responsible for the outbreaks.

For backyard flocks the California Department of Food and Agriculture recommends bio-security measures like isolating new birds for 30 days, restricting access to visitors, and providing birds with only fresh, clean water.