H5 bird flu in seven more SA birds means virus is spreading

H5 bird flu suspected in seven more resident birds in South Australia

New detections reveal the virus is now spreading among resident Australian birds. 

Today’s announcement of seven new suspected cases of H5 bird flu (H5N1) in resident Greater Crested Terns in South Australia means the threat to Australia is growing day by day.

All seven birds were found on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, with five of the birds found at the same location in Southend. The other two birds were found at Cape Jaffa and Port Macdonnell.

These new cases show us that the virus is now spreading among resident Australian birds.

BirdLife Australia CEO Kate Millar says this significant development needs to spur actions to help wild bird populations wherever possible.

“We’ve seen the decimation of wildlife overseas when this virus takes hold,” Ms Millar said. “We can now see that the virus isn’t just arriving on birds that have caught it offshore, it’s on the move here on the Australian continent. Sick seabirds arriving from the Southern Ocean were like embers from a forest fire. Now there’s smoke.”

“With federal and state departments at various stages of stepping up surveillance and preparing for incident management, we’re asking that real action to protect wildlife is undertaken with appropriate urgency.”

“It is difficult to understand why governments still aren’t urgently scaling up actions that will support the resilience of birds and wildlife in Australia. Healthy bird populations have a better chance of withstanding the virus.”

“We should be controlling pests at critical breeding sites where even a small number of foxes can have an enormous impact. Funding for nest protection in the Coorong, which is due to run out right at the peak of the next tern breeding season, can be extended. Reinstating funding that has run out for weed removal and feral bird control on the Fleurieu islands can help seabirds there. These are known solutions that can be rolled out relatively quickly.”

Greater Crested Terns nest in colonies and roost in large flocks, making them particularly vulnerable to H5 bird flu. They also interact with other coastal and wetland species, so these should not be thought of as isolated cases. The cases from South Australia are not far from colonies of Endangered Fairy Terns that local communities and BirdLife Australia teams have worked hard to protect.

“Australia simply can’t afford to watch this rip through wildlife populations and not act, Ms Millar said. “Where there are actions that can be taken to give birds and wildlife a helping hand, we have to take those opportunities. Investing in habitat protection, threat reduction, monitoring and conservation action, can help give Australia’s birds the resilience they need to withstand and recover from H5 bird flu.”

“More needs to be done to target surveillance efforts, mitigate threats and bolster populations of the bird populations at risk. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to invest $200M in an urgent nature resilience package.”

“We’re really pleased that the South Australian government recently recognised that the community has a special role to play by training bird-watching volunteers to contribute to government efforts. Utilising the strengths of this community alongside our scientists and government agencies makes a lot of sense and we’d like to see the other states follow this approach because Australia’s birds are going to need all the help they can get.”

“Targeted surveillance needs to be backed up with actions that are going to immediately support the resilience of wildlife populations and the species at greatest risk. It’s not too late, but we can no longer afford to wait.”

BirdLife Australia is calling on the Australian Government to invest $200 million in an urgent nature resilience package to strengthen wildlife populations and improve preparedness for H5 bird flu.

BirdLife Australia Media Enquiries
Please contact James Johnson on 0468 193 484 or at media@birdlife.org.au

Avoid, Record, Report 

Any signs of unusual illness or death in wild and domestic birds should be recorded and reported immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline at 1800 675 888.  Do not touch any sick or dead animals.  To learn more about H5 bird flu and what it means for humans, birds and wildlife in Australia, visit our dedicated H5 bird flu information hub.