Webinar: H5 Bird Flu and Australian Wildlife

Update and crucial next steps to strengthen the resilience of Australian Wildlife

It has been 5 months since H5 bird flu arrived on the mainland and, while the news headlines have slowed, the virus is still causing deaths in Australian wildlife.   

In this interactive webinar, experts from Australia and Europe will unpack the impacts of bird flu globally, Australia’s outbreak, and discuss the ongoing risk to Australia’s unique birds, mammals and ecosystems. 

Presenters will share their knowledge of the urgent actions needed to improve Australia’s response to H5 bird flu and the critical importance of stepping up efforts to reduce threats to wildlife most at risk.

The webinar will include a half-hour Q&A session.

Meet your speakers

• Dr Chris Purnell, Manager Wetland and Migratory Shorebirds at Birdlife Australia. Topic: HPAI update November 2026.
• Wouter Courtens, Seabird ecologist and researcher from Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) in Brussels. Topic: Messages from the other side – HPAI in Europe and what Australia can take from it.
• Jack Gough, CEO of Invasive Species Council. Topic: Building resilience. Expanding threat mitigation actions for priority sites and species – the current state of play.
• Your MC will be Prof Hugh Possingham, President of Birdlife Australia Board of Directors.
• Kate Millar, CEO of BirdLife Australia, will be joining the Q&A session.

Webinar details

Date: Friday 20 November, 2026

Time: 5:00 – 6:30pm AEDT

Other time zones:

• 2:00pm AWST – WA
• 3:30pm ACST – NT
• 4:00pm AEST – QLD
• 4:30pm ACDT – SA

How to join:  Register now