‘Pirate Seabirds’ could become a pathway for deadly avian flu to spread to Australia, study finds
Smithsonian Magazine, Other, 19/09/2024, Alexa Robles-Gil
Kleptoparasitism, in which a bird harasses another to steal its food, might introduce avian flu to the continent, currently the only one without the severe H5N1 strain Thieving on the high seas comes with many dangers. For the ‘pirate seabirds’ that snatch prey from other species, stealing is a means to obtain food in a sometimes scarce environment. […] Any new information on how the virus might be spreading is valuable, Frank Wong , a microbiologist at CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory who was not involved in the research, tells the Guardian .