Several UK seabird populations in decline attributable to chicken flu: report
LONDON, Feb 13, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – Some UK seabird populations are struggling “widespread and in depth declines” following extreme chicken flu outbreaks in recent years, a brand new examine assessing its affect for the primary time warned on Tuesday.
The report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and different conservationists discovered 9 of 13 species had decreased in numbers by over 10 p.c since earlier surveys made between 2015 and 2021.
It follows the present H5N1 pressure of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) changing into widespread in UK wild chicken populations, notably in seabirds and waterfowl, because the summer time of 2021.
It additionally comes after conservationists warned final 12 months that almost half of the breeding seabird species within the UK and Ireland have declined prior to now 20 years, with local weather change one of many potential causes.
The RSPB referred to as the latest report “extremely regarding” and mentioned reported chicken deaths in 2022 “confirmed that HPAI had develop into one of many greatest fast conservation threats confronted by lots of our seabird species”.
The examine instantly attributed declines for 3 species — Gannet, Great Skua and Roseate Tern — to chicken flu.
All three had beforehand been rising in numbers within the UK previous to the HPAI outbreak.
The UK is answerable for a excessive proportion of the worldwide inhabitants of Great Skua birds, which noticed the most important fall in its numbers of the trio.
The report concluded the chicken flu pressure was additionally “the possible trigger” of dwindling numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns.
Further work is required to raised perceive the potential position of HPAI within the numbers recorded of the remaining species, which embrace varied gulls, Arctic Skua, Kittiwake, Arctic Tern and Guillemot.
“This new examine exhibits that chicken flu could be added to the lengthy record of issues which might be devastating our seabirds,” the RSPB’s director of conservation, Katie-jo Luxton, mentioned.