03 September 2026
Regional veterinary and agricultural authorities in the Azores have declared an urgent biological surveillance operation following confirmed outbreaks of Newcastle Disease (ND) in wild bird populations across multiple islands of the archipelago, including Graciosa, Terceira, Pico, and São Miguel.
The outbreak, primarily affecting wild Columbiformes such as feral rock pigeons (Columba livia) and wood pigeons, first surfaced on the island of Graciosa before laboratory assays detected the pathogen on several neighbouring islands. In response, the Regional Government of the Azores has enacted an indefinite moratorium on all pigeon hunting, banned avian fairs and exhibitions, and restricted the inter-island movement of captive birds to safeguard the commercial poultry sector. In wild pigeons, the disease is frequently driven by pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1), an antigenic variant adapted to Columbidae
