Tag

Seabirds

All articles tagged with #seabirds

environment23 days ago•2 min saved

Australian Seabirds Break Plastic-Ingestion Records, Fledgling Carries 894 Pieces

Australian seabirds on Lord Howe Island are breaking plastic ingestion records, including a fledgling with 894 pieces—about 64 g, roughly 15% of its body weight. The trend, rising since 2023 with new records each year, reflects increasing ocean waste and parents feeding plastic to chicks. The study urges stronger recycling policies (e.g., attached bottle caps) and highlights research into turning plastic into fuel or other useful materials as potential solutions.

via Gizmodo|

#australia #environment #ocean-pollution

science1 month ago•16 min saved

Lundy's Rat Elimination Triggers Puffin Comeback and Seabird Boom

Off southwest England, Lundy Island’s invasive rats devastated seabird colonies, with puffins dwindling to 13 breeding pairs by 2000. A 2002 rat-eradication and ongoing biosecurity enabled seabirds to rebound dramatically: puffins rose to about 1,335 individuals and more than 40,000 seabirds now nest on Lundy annually, making it a leading example of island conservation and the importance of keeping rats out.

via The Times of India|

#conservation #lundy-island #puffins

science1 month ago•4 min saved

H5 bird flu triggers mass seabird die-offs across South Australia and nearby islands

South Australia declares a significant escalation of H5 avian influenza after three mass mortality events killing more than 1,000 greater crested terns on Troubridge and Pages Islands; a suspected H5 case in a little penguin on Kangaroo Island and 28 dead little penguins on King Island are under investigation, with testing underway. Detections are spreading to additional sites in SA, while NSW and Tasmania report further cases. No poultry or livestock infections have been detected. Aerial surveillance is ongoing and authorities are considering targeted vaccination for captive native species as a conservation measure, with broader vaccination of wild birds deemed impractical.

via The Guardian|

#h5-bird-flu #kangaroo-island #mass-mortality

environment2 months ago•3 min saved

Coastal Australia battles bird flu as frontline carers race to shield vulnerable wildlife

Three weeks after H5 bird flu appeared on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, communities report rising numbers of sick and dead birds, prompting wildlife carers to use PPE and tighten protocols while authorities collect reports and monitor transmission; a mass mortality event at Baudin Rocks highlights the crisis, with concern expanding to threatened species like fairy terns and marine mammals, and veterinarians warning that slowing the spread is essential as Victoria documents more dead terns—indicating a long, difficult path ahead for wildlife and those who care for them.

via The Guardian|

#australia #bird-flu #conservation

health2 months ago•2 min saved

Australia braces for wider H5N1 spread after seabird die-off near Adelaide

Australia warns that H5N1 bird flu is likely to spread after the first mass seabird die-off off Cape Jaffa near Adelaide, with testing confirming the virus in 49 dead and 35 sick greater crested terns. There’s no evidence of farm infections yet, but officials expect more wildlife cases as birds move. Measures include stronger biosecurity, shore-bird testing, vaccination of vulnerable species, and war-gaming response plans. While the global outbreak has caused mass wildlife deaths and financial losses, the human risk remains low for now.

via Al Jazeera|

#australia #biosecurity #bird-flu

environment2 months ago•10 min saved

Wildlife in Australia Under Threat as H5N1 Bird Flu Spreads

Australia is contending with a worsening H5N1 bird flu outbreak in wildlife, with 53 confirmed detections across five states (SA accounts for 39), including mass seabird mortality and suspected inland transmission near Seal Bay. While there are no poultry detections yet, the risk is rising, prompting stronger surveillance, farm biosecurity measures, and consideration of vaccination for vulnerable wildlife. Officials urge the public not to touch sick or dead birds, record sightings, and report them to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline at 1800 675 888.

via The Conversation|

#australia-wildlife #biosecurity #bird-flu

science2 months ago•17 min saved

Rats on remote islands reroute reef life by starving seabirds

Invasive rats on tropical islands decimate seabird populations and their nutrient-rich guano subsidies to surrounding coral reefs. This reduces nutrient input and reshapes the reef cryptofauna: rat-free reefs are dominated by tiny cryptobenthic fishes, while rat-infested reefs see relatively more invertebrates and altered predator–prey dynamics, signaling cascading changes through the reef food web.

via The Times of India|

#coral-reef #cryptofauna #rats

science2 months ago•15 min saved

Rats rewire Indian Ocean reefs by starving seabirds and reshaping food webs

New research shows invasive rats on Indian Ocean islands decimate seabirds, cutting nutrient inputs to coral reefs and rewiring reef food webs. The loss of seabird-derived nutrients shifts the base of the ecosystem from cryptobenthic fishes to invertebrates, altering predator energy pathways and illustrating a complex, uneven nutrient impact across rat-infested and rat-free reefs.

via Oceanographic Magazine|

#coral-reef #food-web #invasive-species

environment2 months ago•3 min saved

New Zealand Detects First H5N1 Bird Flu Case, Puts Native Birds at Risk

New Zealand has confirmed its first H5N1 bird flu case in a wild brown skua on a Wellington beach. Authorities report no current mass wildlife deaths or wild-to-wild transmission and have a national surveillance program plus a vaccination effort for five endangered species in captivity, including kākāpō and takahē. Scientists warn some native species, especially colonial shorebirds, could be highly vulnerable, making this a major conservation and cultural concern for the country.

via The Guardian|

#bird-flu #conservation #environment

science3 months ago•6 min saved

H5N1 Bird Flu Reaches Australia, Triggering Urgent Wildlife Surveillance

Australia confirms the first detections of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b) in two seabirds off Western Australia, marking the virus’s arrival on the continent. The strain, now circulating globally, spreads rapidly and has devastated wildlife and poultry elsewhere, though human risk remains low. A national taskforce has been preparing since 2024, expanding surveillance and biosecurity, with discussions of wildlife vaccination in extreme cases. The public is urged to report sick or dead birds to authorities and avoid contact with wildlife to help containment.

via ScienceAlert|

#australia #bird-flu #h5n1

science3 months ago•3 min saved

H5N1 hits Western Australia’s offshore seabirds, triggering wildlife health alert

Two sick brown skua and giant petrel found on Western Australia’s southern coast tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza and died, marking Australia’s first detections and prompting heightened surveillance amid fears of a broader wildlife outbreak. Experts say there’s no confirmed spread yet, but seabirds could transport the virus as they forage offshore. People should avoid handling dead or sick birds and report sightings via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.

via The Guardian|

#avian-influenza #h5n1 #science

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Scientists Reveal Surprising Secrets of Seabird Pooping Habits

A study published in Current Biology reveals that streaked shearwaters, a type of seabird, consistently poop midair at regular intervals, a behavior observed through belly-mounted cameras, which may have implications for understanding seabird ecology and disease transmission.

via Gizmodo|

#bird-research #ecosystem #pooping-behavior

science1 year ago•1 min saved

Seabirds' Unique Flying and Pooping Habits Revealed

Scientists studying streaked shearwaters found that these seabirds almost never defecate while resting on water and do so more than five times an hour during flight, revealing an unexpectedly high frequency of excretion.

via The New York Times|

#aviation #behavioral-ecology #excretion

science1 year ago•2 min saved

First-Ever Footage of Seabirds Catching Flying Fish Mid-Air

Scientists attached tiny cameras to red-footed boobies in the Indian Ocean, capturing the first-ever footage of seabirds catching flying fish mid-air, revealing new insights into their hunting behavior and adaptation to wind conditions.

via PetaPixel|

#bird-behavior #camera-footage #flying-fish

environment2 years ago•4 min saved

"Island Mouse Infestation Threatens Seabirds: Massive Extermination Planned"

Mice introduced to Marion Island near Antarctica 200 years ago are now breeding out of control due to climate change, posing a threat to seabirds and unique biodiversity. Conservationists are planning a mass extermination using helicopters and rodent poison to prevent the potential loss of 19 seabird species. The eradication project, set for 2027, aims to preserve the island's ecology and is a critical conservation effort in the face of rising temperatures and the mice's devastating impact.

via NBC News|

#climate-change #conservation #environment