Hundreds of dead birds are now being reported as the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu begins to spread across Australia. Government reports show the virus is circulating in resident birds.
It was a long time coming. The current outbreak emerged in 2020. By late 2021, it was spreading widely, leaving a widespread trail of devastation among wildlife species across Europe and the Americas. Even as Antarctic birds and mammals began suffering over 2024 and 2025, Australia – and New Zealand – remained free of this viral strain. Until now.
