The influenza virus has existed for millions of years as an innocuous intestinal virus of wild ducks. What turned a harmless waterborne duck virus into a killer? In his classic Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, Michael Greger M.D. traces the human role in the evolution of this virus, whose humble beginnings belie its transformation into a potentially deadly strain with the potential to become the next pandemic.

This site provides for free the full text of Dr. Greger’s classic Bird Flu. The table of contents links to the book in its entirety–on the left in your browser or click the 3 stacked lines by the Search bar on your smartphone or tablet.

Given the latest bird flu cases and outbreaks in 2025, the urgency in understanding animal-to-human diseases, their history and causes, and how we may prevent their emergence is once again paramount.

“The book is timely, well-researched, and particularly incisive on farming methods worldwide…this is a valuable resource for scientists and the public alike.” —Xavier Bosch’s review in the Journal of the American Medical Association

“Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the book is its myriad of carefully documented references and quotes from key scientific, public health, and government officials, which indicates that Greger has gone to the primary sources to gain his information.” —Andrew Pekosz’s review in the Journal of Clinical Investigation

“Greger’s superb story-telling ability makes every page of the book interesting and fascinating for both specialist and layperson…Numerous quotes, pretty illustrations, vivid titles and clear writing make reading really a pleasure…Dr. Greger’s simple and practical suggestions are invaluable for both nation and individual…Greger’s book is the best of its genre and deserves to be read by anyone who is concerned about human and animal health. This book is a must read for government and enterprise officials who are advocating and advancing poultry industry standards…I highly recommend it.” —noted virologists Chengfeng Qin and Ede Qin (Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity) in their review in Virology Journal

From age-old scourges such as smallpox and tuberculosis to emerging threats like AIDS and SARS, our interactions with animals have always played a pivotal role as a source of human disease. Bird flu is the latest such menace coming home to roost. Leading public health authorities now predict as inevitable a pandemic of influenza, triggered by bird flu and expected to lead to millions of deaths around the globe.

The influenza virus has existed for millions of years as an innocuous intestinal virus of wild ducks. What turned a harmless waterborne duck virus into a killer? In Bird Flu, Dr. Michael Greger traces the human role in the evolution of this virus, whose humble beginnings belie its transformation into a killer mutant strain with the potential to become as ferocious as Ebola and as contagious as the common cold. In the face of the coming pandemic, Dr. Greger reveals what we can do to protect our families and what human society to can do to reduce the likelihood of such catastrophes in the future.

Amid the growing panic surrounding this issue, Dr. Greger takes a sobering look at a deadly cycle and offers a solution to ending it.