The recent detection of bird flu in a cygnet in Monaghan "serves as a reminder" that the virus is currently circulating in wild birds in Ireland.
The Department of Agriculture is aware of three cases of the H5N8 strain, with at least one also recorded in Northern Ireland.
The case in Ballybay involved a young mute swan, with a peregrine falcon in Limerick and a curlew in Mayo also contracting the virus.
Tests on a dead swan in Derry also confirmed the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
In response to a query by Shannonside Northern Sound News, the Department of Agriculture said these individual wild bird findings act as a reminder that the virus is in the country, and poses a risk to native poultry flocks and the poultry industry.
Farmers are being advised to increase biosecurity measures by keeping their birds separate to wild birds, and to put feed and water indoors or under a cover.
The H5N8 strain doesn't pose a risk to human health, but is more serious to birds than the H6N1 strain that saw over 605,000 birds culled in Ireland earlier this year.
13 outbreaks were detected at the start of 2020 - all in County Monaghan.
Anyone who thinks the disease may have entered their flock is being called on to report it to their nearest Regional Veterinary Office.
