Chickens, turkeys, partridges and pheasants were experimentally infected with Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida to investigate whether outbreaks of fowl cholera in avifauna might represent a risk for organic, backyard and industrial poultry production. Birds were infected intra-tracheally with a strain of P. multocida subsp. multocida (40605-1) isolated from outbreaks of fowl cholera in wild birds in Denmark. P. multocida subsp. multocida strain P-1059 was included as a reference strain. The outbreak strain was highly virulent for turkeys, partridges and pheasants, while chickens were more resistant. The present findings underline the importance of wild birds as a reservoir for P. multocida. Intratracheal challenge proved useful for studying the virulence of P. multocida.