How Bird Movements Are Helping Scientists Track a Dangerous Flu Virus

Researchers at Deakin University in Australia are studying how migratory shorebirds move through the landscape to predict the spread of a dangerous strain of bird flu. The work, led by Dr. Sara Ryding of the Deakin Centre for Marine Science with co-authors Dr. Tobias Ross and Professor Marcel Klaassen, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Bird flu has long existed in nature mostly as low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI), causing mild illness in birds. Under pressures such as industrialized poultry farming, these viruses can mutate into high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) strains. The HPAI H5N1 strain now affecting wildlife worldwide has only recently been detected in Australia.

Ryding's research identifies which birds face the greatest risk of exposure: seabirds that nest in large colonies, such as Australasian gannets; pink-eared ducks, whose aquatic foraging brings them into contact with other birds' feces; birds of prey; and scavengers like ravens and magpies that feed on dead or dying birds. Some species show a capacity to develop antibodies after exposure, which may help them resist the virus if they encounter it again.

The team's findings feed into AviFluMap, a publicly available tool developed by Deakin with Wildlife Health Australia and BirdLife Australia that tracks known and emerging H5 bird flu risk. A key turning point in the outbreak was the discovery of deaths among greater crested terns, which showed the virus had spread from giant petrels, seabirds that rarely visit the Australian mainland, to a mainland species. Deaths have since also been recorded in seals and dolphins.

Because Australia's coastline is too long for any single agency to monitor alone, citizen scientists play a crucial role, reporting sightings that fill gaps in official surveillance. Ryding advises the public not to touch sick or dead birds, and instead to call Australia's 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.