WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Xinhua) -- Scientists may have discovered bird flu in wild mute swans in Michigan although it doesn't appear to be the highly pathogenic strain, the White House announced on Monday.

"They believe it is a strain of low pathogenicity, similar to the strains that have been seen in North America before," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

The wild mute swans inhabit the upper Midwest state of Michigan. Testing was under way to confirm the presence of the virus and its type, said the officials.

Scientists had feared that the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu would reach North America sometime this year. Just last week, the U.S. expanded its monitoring for wild migratory birds throughout the nation to check for early warning signs.

However, health officials stressed that the virus' appearance in wild birds would not be a public health crisis, especially if it were the low-pathogenic strain. Enditem