Migratory Birds' Food Theft Could Spread Deadly Avian Flu to Australia
Scientists warn that kleptoparasitism among seabirds may facilitate the transmission of the virulent H5N1 strain to new regions.
- A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, H5N1 2.3.4.4b, has devastated bird populations globally since 2021.
- Researchers identified kleptoparasitism, a behavior where birds steal food from others, as a potential pathway for the virus's spread.
- Frigatebirds, skuas, and gulls, which practice kleptoparasitism, could contract and disseminate the virus through regurgitated food.
- The virus has already reached Antarctica and could potentially enter Australia via migratory birds from the northern hemisphere.
- Scientists emphasize the need for monitoring kleptoparasitic species to detect early signs of the virus's arrival in new regions.
The Guardian 
Newsweek 
The Conversation 