UK: avian influenza in seabird colonies
2 July, 2022
Avian influenza is spreading at an alarming rate, particularly in seabirds. Thousands of seabirds are dropping dead from avian influenza at some of the UK's most important seabird colonies.
Dead birds are now reported from Bass Rock in Scotland (the world's largest colony of northern gannets), the Farne Islands in northeast England, and the Norfolk coast.
While the outbreak piles more pressure on the seabird colonies, it is not believed so far that the disease poses an immediate threat to the continued survival of the birds. The new reports follow a number of avian influenza outbreaks in Scotland at the start of the year, with the virus now spreading south into England.
