Brown skuas and giant petrels rarely make landfall. When they were found in WA, scientists feared ‘bad news’ for wildlife

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 on Western Australia’s southern coastline – it was a sign something might be wrong. On Monday it was confirmed the giant petrel had tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, two days after the case was confirmed in the skua. Both birds have since died. The virus has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world since 2021 but, until now, Australia was the only continent it had failed to reach. Now governments and wildlife experts are waiting anxiously to see if the two cases represent the beginning of a wave of infections, fearing devastating consequences for Australian wildlife and industry. Almost 60 reports of sick and dead birds in Western Australia were made to a nationwide hotline at the weekend.. Australia’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Beth Cookson, said there was no sign that the two infections had spread to other birds. But the cases have put experts and government agencies on high alert. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Because the disease first emerged in the northern hemisphere and much of its devastation has occurred there, experts told the Guardian it was thought more likely that if it reached Australia, it would affect the northern coastline first. …