H5N1 (Bird flu) in Australia / 10th August Update

The deadly strain of bird flu, H5N1, has arrived in Australia and threatens a list of 100 native animal species, including birds, land and sea mammals.
Two birds, the brown skua and the giant petrel flew from the sub-Antarctic region to southwest Western Australia, were confirmed to be infected with the deadly virus.

Until the infected skua was found on a remote beach near Esperance, Australia was the only continent free of the deadly virus.

Brown skua

A giant petrel, found several kilometres away, also tested positive for the H5 strain.

Brown skuas and giant petrels are a common sight offshore in southern Australian waters in the winter months, but they will rarely risk venturing on to land.
So when two of these birds were discovered sick on beaches a few kilometres apart it was a sign something might be wrong.
Both birds have since died.

Giant southern petrel

Australia’s unique wildlife, which has evolved in isolation for millions of years, could be particularly vulnerable to H5N1.The list of at-risk animals includes: bird-eating raptors, including white-bellied sea eagles, powerful owls and wedge-tailed eagles; black swans with no defences to the virus; Australian sea lions; rare parrots, including the tiny populations of orange-bellied and swift parrots; and Tasmanian devils as they eat carrion.The risk of an outbreak in farmed birds is also high, with potentially devastating consequences. Australia’s largest chicken meat producer announced on it had locked down access to all its farms in Western Australia, even though they are all north of Perth and more than 700 kilometres from where the infected birds were found.Experts had warned it was inevitable for the virus to make its way to Australia via migratory birds. 

H5N1

Now that it has come from the sub-Antarctic region, governments and experts say a wild outbreak is likely. The Australian government committed $113 million to preparations to deal with an H5N1 incursion, with an emphasis on planning to swiftly identify an outbreak and responding to limit its spread. 

This includes teams to swiftly remove carcasses of infected animals to prevent further spread and stopping farmed poultry from mixing with wild birds.

Stay tuned for updates!

Update:10/07/26

The first case of deadly H5 bird flu in local wildlife, as apposed to migratory, has been recorded in a bird, a greater crested tern, found on the South Australian coast, in what experts said was an escalation of the disease’s arrival in the country.

Greater crested tern

Update: 01/08/26

In its latest updates, the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry confirmed a further 20 birds from Kangaroo Island and the south-east coast of South Australia had tested positive, including a silver gull found at the town of Robe.

Silver gull

Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson, said this was the first detection ever in a silver gull in Australia.

Update: 03/08/26

The mass deaths of greater crested terns were announced in South Australia over the weekend, with 49 dead terns and 35 unwell terns detected by aerial surveillance. Samples from some of those animals were sent to the CSIRO for verification and have come back positive.
This is Australia’s first mass mortality event from the deadly disease. 

Update: 10/08/26

As of 1.00pm AEST, 10 August 2026, Australia has 231 confirmed detections of H5 bird flu in wild birds.

10 in Western Australia (WA)
163 in South Australia (SA)
4 in New South Wales (NSW)
1 in Queensland (QLD)
53 in Victoria (VIC).

There have been no detections in poultry or the wider agriculture industry.

A case of H5N1has been confirmed in an Australian land-based bird for the first time.

A magpie found on Victoria’s south-west coast tested positive for the deadly virus, the CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirmed. All other cases in Australia to date have been in seabirds

Almost one in five Australian bird and mammal species is at high, very high or extreme risk from the bird flu virus now spreading in Australia.
Five bird species are assessed as being at extreme risk, meaning that they cannot survive where the virus occurs. They include the Christmas Island frigate bird, the Herald petrel, Houtman albatross, imperial shag on Heard Island and imperial shag on Macquarie Island.

The highest-risk marine mammals are the sea lion, fur seal and elephant seal, and the highest risk land mammals are the Tasmanian devil and eastern quoll. Eight species of dolphin are at risk and one, the common dolphin, is at very high risk.