Wild birds’ plight and role in the current bird flu panzootic

Abstract

The current avian influenza panzootic is unprecedented and catastrophic for birds. With a focus on the implications of this panzootic for poultry, there is limited attention on wild birds. We highlight shortcomings and geographic biases in reporting leading to a severe underappreciation of wildlife mortality. We estimate the scale of mortality amongst wild birds is in the millions rather than tens-of-thousands reported, through comparison of notification data to accounts literature. The outbreaks amongst wild birds are causing population and species level concerns which may drive extinctions and jeopardise decades of conservation efforts.