Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza reaches yet another sub-Antarctic island

A view of Macquarie Island, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI, “bird flu”) has been detected in a seal and a gull on Australia’s Macquarie Island in the southern Pacific Ocean (click here).  Samples collected from a Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina and a Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus were returned to with island personnel and subsequently tested, returning a positive result for H5 bird flu.

“Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins told parliament three other species had returned negative tests, including skuas, giant petrels[Macronectes sp.] and penguins.  She also said there had been no signs of any mass mortality events among the island's wildlife at this stage.  Ms Collins said the samples from the southern elephant seal and kelp gull would undergo further testing at a CSIRO laboratory.”

Bird flu Has now been recorded on nearly all the sub-Antarctic islands where samples have been collected in the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans (see articles in ACAP Latest News from here).  Macquarie Island falls within the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean.

With bird flu reported from mainland Australia (including Tasmania) and New Zealand, it seems only a matter of time before it is reported from the sub-Antarctic island groups south of New Zealand – completing the circle of Southern Ocean islands hat have been affected.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 20 October 2026