in that case climate change, pollution, accidental catch with hunting tools and purchase microplastics it was not enough, the seabirds facing another deadly threat: bird flu. H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, caused thousands of deaths in the northern hemisphere in the last two years. And it has spread southward at great speed and has been detected in areas it had never been able to reach before. Recent outbreaks predominantly affect seabirdssomething unusual until now.
Spain no stranger to this serious problem: they have already been observed 128 cases of avian influenza in wild birds since last October 1, 15 of which in the last two months. The disease has so far been recorded in species such as the black-headed gull, the tern, the gull-billed tern, the peregrine falcon, the little tern, the pagan, and the yellow-legged gull.
dir-dir The incidence of avian influenza in susceptible species is of particular concern.Such as the Sandwich tern and Black-billed shrimp, whose mortality from the disease has been reported in the natural park of Albufera de Valencia.
Faced with this situation, SEO/BirdLife insists it is necessary. improve the conservation status of seabirds To increase their resilience against such events and to encourage the people to join the war. citizen science programs Like ICAO (https://icao.seo.org/es) which can provide valuable information on the impact of this disease.
Avian influenza (or influenza), which originally affected poultry, began to be detected in wild species in Europe at the beginning of this century and was spread by migratory routes.
They have been observed since sporadic mass mortality of birds, primarily aquatic. In 2021, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus spread to seabirds, causing an unprecedented situation that continues to this day.
devastating effect
The disease knows no borders. The bird flu virus has been detected in about 400 different bird species almost all over the world.. “The colonial behavior of species such as the gannet and tern during the breeding season creates the perfect scenario for the rapid spread of the virus,” the NGO says.
“These colonies house a large proportion of the world’s population of some species, so The impact on its population globally is devastating“, To add.
Some of the data collected so far, critical situation:
–Atlantic booby. At least 75% of existing colonies are affected, with a total mortality rate of 60%. More than 11,000 casualties are estimated to have been lost in Scotland, where the main nesting grounds are located. In Bass Rock, the world’s largest gannet colony, the area occupied was reduced by 71% and breeding success was reduced by 66%.
-Pay big. At least 2,700 bodies have been counted, with a 70% reduction in occupied areas in the British Isles, where the main colonies are located worldwide (about 8,900 pairs), with an estimated mortality rate of 7% of the global population. Reproductive success in the affected colonies in 2021 and 2022 was almost zero. Many of the birds that died were over 20 years old.
–Snowflake Tern. During the 2022 epidemic, a total of 20,531 dead adults were counted in the northwestern European colonies in just two months, with a mortality rate of 74% of the nesting population.
– Breed Pelican. In 2022, the flu killed 60% of the world’s largest colony on Lake Prespa (Greece) and also affected other colonies in Eastern Europe. It is estimated that 40% of the European population and 10% of the world population will be lost.
-Laughing gull. An estimated 10,000 black-headed gull deaths are estimated in the UK, which is 4% of the population, and there are hundreds more cases in several continental European countries.
Spain can’t get rid of the virus
“These numbers are probably underestimated because of the difficulty of retrieving the carcasses of dead animals and the fact that not all colonies have died. population estimates long-term that allows for year-to-year comparisons,” says SEO/BirdLife.
“These populations will take several decades to recover if they are successful,” says Lucía Soliño, a technician with the NGO’s Maritime Program. “Seabirds are long-lived animals with a long maturation period and a low number of chicks. The survival of the adult is decisive for the continuation of the species.“, To add.
Spain has a National Avian Influenza Surveillance Program for early detection of the disease. During the current epidemic, Between 1 July 2022 and 7 June 2023, 7 outbreaks in domestic birds, 1 in captive birds and 117 outbreaks in wild birds were detected. In the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Aragon, Castilla y Leon, Castilla la Mancha, Cantabria, Extremadura, Madrid, La Rioja, Asturias, Murcia and the Commonwealth of Valencia.
“They are particularly concerned stage lights from nature parks Valencia lagoon and Ebro delta, extremely important places for both sea and waterfowl. In the first, multiple 1,000 carrion Sandwich Terns and Black-billed Squirrelsbut it is unknown how many are caused by the flu,” says the NGO.
The Generalitat Climate Action Department of Catalonia has confirmed an outbreak of bird flu (AI) in the Ebro delta. Specifically, the Algete National Reference Laboratory (Madrid) revealed a positive result in three countries of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu last July. Sandwich tern specimens from the Fangar peninsula, north of the Ebro delta.
What to do with a sick or dead bird?
faced with this situation surveillance And biosecurity measures in poultry farms, especially those designed to avoid contact with wild birds. Monitoring of seabird colonies has also been intensified to measure the incidence of the disease.
“But in the face of an epidemic of this size, take extreme measures and take appropriate management measures to prevent contamination of the most sensitive species,” says SEO/BirdLife.
Although there have been few cases of human transmission so far and their severity is low, the handling and elimination of birds should be carried out by specialist personnel with individual protection equipment to avoid the risk of zoonosis.
What to do if you find a sick or dead bird:
–Do not pick up or touch the birds dead or diseased wild
– Keep pets away from dead or sick birds.
–Do not feed the birds wild water sports.
– Do not touch the feathers from wild birds or from surfaces contaminated with wild bird droppings.
– If you have poultry or other birds, wash your hands and clean and disinfect your shoes before handling your birds.
Call –112 or Fauna Rescue Center Follow the corresponding and pointing instructions. Environmental agents will go to the specified location to retrieve the animal or its corpse.
–Send observation data If you want to contribute with SEO/BirdLife to improve knowledge of causes of death in seabirds, via the ICAO app available for Android and IOS (Apple).
Latest FAO report on bird flu: https://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/publication/avian_influenza_2023_aug.pdf