Some birds have developed immunity to avian flu, according to scientists who say there are “encouraging signs” that the deadly virus could kill fewer birds this winter. The current H5N1 bird flu outbreak, which started in 2021, has been the worst recorded, and is thought to have killed millions of wild birds. Mortality rates appeared […]
Tag: avian flu
Avian flu may have killed millions of birds globally as outbreak ravages South America
Millions of wild birds may have died from bird flu globally in the latest outbreak, researchers have said, as the viral disease ravages South America, with 200,000 deaths recorded in Peru alone. The highly infectious variant of H5N1, which gained momentum in the winter of 2021, caused Europe’s worst bird flu outbreak before spreading globally. […]
Avian Flu Outbreaks in Marine Mammals Mark New Era for Deadly Virus
Last June, the phones at Marine Mammals of Maine began ringing — a lot. People walking the craggy shoreline of Casco Bay, which stretches north and south of Portland, were reporting sick or dead seals. Late spring and early summer, as pups begin to set off on their own, are usually the rescue and rehabilitation […]
Over 40 Vultures Mysteriously Found Dead Around Water Tower in North Carolina
Wildlife experts are working to solve a mystery after over 40 vultures were found dead surrounding a water tower in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. 40-50 vultures were piled in a 100-yard radius around a water tower in North Carolina. American Wildlife Refuge worker Paul MacKinnon said that he believes the birds appear to have been […]
Internet Rallies for TikTok’s Emmanuel the Emu After He’s Struck by Avian Flu
If you were on Twitter over the weekend, you’re aware messages of support were pouring in for Emmanuel Todd Lopez, the usually plucky Emu. A popular presence on TikTok, Emmanuel was reportedly struck by the avian flu shortly after Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf coast. According to his caretaker, 50 birds at the farm […]
Birdwatch: colonies hit by avian flu on Farne Islands sound warning
Britain’s seabird colonies are, in the words of the veteran conservationist Roy Dennis, “our Serengeti”. Few other places on the planet make such an assault on the senses: the sight, sound and smell of tens of thousands of birds, gathered together each summer to breed. Of all our seabird sites, none is more special than […]
Calls to ban gamebird release to avoid ‘catastrophic’ avian flu outbreak
Conservationists have called for ministers to ban the release of millions of gamebirds to prevent the UK’s wild birds being wiped out by a “catastrophic” avian flu epidemic this winter. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said there was a significant risk that pheasants, partridge and ducks released for shooting from 1 […]
The highly infectious avian flu is killing raptors, ducks, geese, seabirds and even foxes
Peter Stronach, an ecologist and wildlife photographer, couldn’t believe what he was witnessing as he went along the coastline of a Highland lake on a beautiful May evening. Male eider ducks, numerous species of gulls, a gannet, a puffin, and no fewer than 26 pink-footed geese, all of which should have been on their way […]