Warning comes as ornithologists call for the government to step up testing to monitor the impact of the deadly H5N1 strain
In Britain, the disease has had a growing impact on wild birds over the past two years with 65 species being infected. About 16,000 barnacle geese died on the Solway Firth last winter, for example, while more than a quarter of the UK’s only roseate tern colony, off the Northumberland coast, died in the summer.
On the island of Foula, in Shetland, 1,500 great skuas perished, a number that represents 4% of the world population of these rare large gulls. Similarly, thousands of birds have been, the world’s largest colony of northern gannets. Britain is home to 55% of the global northern gannet population. Bird flu has also begun to kill hen harriers and white-tailed eagles. Both species are of conservation concern, added Smith. “We are seeing kestrels and owls becoming infected – probably because they are catching mice and voles that have picked up the virus from poultry farms. These rodents are not necessarily affected by the virus but they are carrying it.”, it was reported last week, though Smith stressed that all but one of these cases had actually occurred in 2021 or 2022.
The spread of avian flu puts further pressure on Britain’s wild birds, particularly seabirds. Many species breed only once every four or five years but are already suffering from the effects of the climate crisis, commercial development of coastal areas and
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