Tasmanian devils, swift parrots, black swans: the animals at risk if bird flu takes off in Australia

More than 150 of Australia’s native and unique bird species have been assessed as being at “very high risk” of extinction or major decline if they catch the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, with Western Australia’s celebrated black swans among the most susceptible. The federal government analysis of Australia’s 800 different birds and 350 mammals reflects the high level of concern among experts about the arrival of the H5N1 strain, which has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world. Australia was the only continent free of the contagious strain until tests confirmed a brown skua and a giant petrel – found sick a few kilometres from each other on the Western Australian coastline near Esperance – both had the strain. On Tuesday, WA authorities said no new cases had been found and there was no evidence the virus had spread into other wild populations. State and federal governments have been preparing for the likely arrival of the disease for several years, including the development of 100 response plans for species and habitats and a risk analysis for Australian species. A federal environment department spokesperson said: “Many of our birds and mammals are not found anywhere else in the world, making the impacts of H5 bird flu difficult to predict.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email There were more than 150 bird species unique to Australia “considered at very high risk” under the risk analysis, the spokesperson said. …