Sampling sites for avian influenza on Possession and Kerguelen Islands. See the publication for details

Augustin Clessin (Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université Montpellier, France) and colleagues have published open access in Nature Communications on records of highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in the French sub-Antarctic islands of Possession, Crozets and Kerguelen, including in Vulnerable Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans chicks.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Since 2020, the outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus clade 2.3.4.4b has turned into the largest documented panzootic.  Here, we describe its arrival into the Indian Ocean sub-Antarctic archipelagos of Crozet and Kerguelen, where we first detected the virus in October 2024 in dead southern elephant seals. While the panzootic is ongoing, it has already caused unprecedented mortalities of marine mammals and seabirds.  We collected brain swabs from seal and seabird carcasses and obtained 25 novel HPAI H5N1 2.3.4.4b sequences.  Using phylogeographic analyses, we show that there have been independent introductions of the virus to Crozet and Kerguelen islands, most likely from the distant South Georgia islands in the Southern Atlantic, and not from the more nearby coasts of South Africa. Our results point to a year-long gap in genomic surveillance in the sub-Antarctic region.   Locally, our analyses show that the virus is transmitted between different species. Our serological analyses show that some southern elephant seal had mounted an anti-H5 antibody response.  Through its circumpolar spread to the Indian Ocean, HPAI H5N1 2.3.4.4b moves closer to Australia, which remains free from infections with this strain, and represents a major threat to the sub-Antarctic wildlife.”

Reference:

Clessin, A., Briand, F.-X., Tornos, J., Lejeune, M., De Pasquale, C., Fischer, R., Souchaud, F., Hirchaud, E., Bralet T., Guinet, C., McMahon, C.R., Grasland, B., Baele, G. & Boulinier, T. 2025.  Circumpolar spread of avian influenza H5N1 to southern Indian Ocean islands.  Nature Communications 16, 8463.  doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64297-y.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 14 January 2026

Note: this paper has been previously featured in ACAP Latest News under a different title and a differently-worded abstract as a preprint.

Ready to count albatrosses on Midway Atoll while wearing burrow shoes in the 2024/25 breeding season

Twelve volunteers flew into Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in early December 2025, landing after dark to avoid bird strikes.  Their task: to undertake the annual ground count of breeding Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Layan P. immutabilis Albatrosses on the three islands that make up the atoll.  “A bird counter's time and energy working 48 hours a week for a month in December through mid-January contributes to one of the longest and most consistent monitoring seabird data sets in the world”.

Volunteers prep for the 2025/26 Annual Bird Count

USFWS biologist and volunteer Dan Rapp has produced the above video of the bird counters setting up before the actual count begins.  “What are the volunteers wearing on their feet?  The weight of one human foot can easily collapse Bonin Petrel burrows. Using these so-called burrow shoes helps distribute a person's weight evenly. Each burrow shaped entrance or tunnel that appears to run along the surface of the sand is excavated by a nesting Nunulu {Bonin Petrel Pterodroma hypoleuca] pair who make their nest.  They do this by digging a deep burrow that runs parallel to the surface before the burrow runs deeper to create a safe nest cavity.  The counter must also be constantly aware of where to carefully step next.  Often times stepping next to the lower side of a burrow entrance is usually the safest bet for both birds and counters.”

IMidway Atoll Sand Island Bike Tour January 2025 (33.41)

Information from the Friends of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 January 2026

The latest ACAP Species Infographic for the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus (Least Concern), the 21st to be produced in the series in the ACAP official languages of English, French and Spanish, has now been released in Portuguese.

Portuguese versions of ACAP Species Infographics have previously been produced for three species that visit the waters of Brazil (a Party to the Agreement) where they interact with fisheries.  They are the Critically Endangered Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbeneena, the Least Concern Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris and the Vulnerable White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis.

It is intended to produce infographics in Portuguese for a further two species, the Endangered Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. chlororhynchos (as part of marking World Albatross Day 2026 on 19 June) and the Near Threatened Spectacled Petrel P. conspicillata.  This will complete a planned six-species series of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels that are considered to occur regularly offshore from Brazil.

The infographic for the Southern Giant Petrel has been sponsored by the Australian Antarctic Division.  It is the fourth to be produced for an ACAP-listed petrel, following those for the Least Concern Northern Giant Petrel M. halli, the Near Threatened Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea and the White-chinned Petrel.  The other 17 infographics are all for albatrosses.

The ACAP Species Infographic series is designed to help inform the general public, including school learners, of the threats faced by albatrosses and what is being and can be done to combat them.  They serve to complement the more detailed and referenced ACAP Species Assessments, the concise and illustrated ACAP Species Summaries and the ACAP Photo Essay series.

The infographics produced to date may be freely downloaded at a high resolution to allow for printing professionally in two poster sizes (approximately A2 and A3).  English and Portuguese language versions of infographics are available to download here; French and Spanish versions can be found in their respective language menus for the website under Infographies sur les espèces and Infographía sobres las especies.

Please note they are only being made available for personal use or when engaging in activities that will aid in drawing attention to the conservation crisis faced by the world’s albatrosses and petrels – when ACAP will be pleased to receive a mention.

The infographics are created by Thai illustrator Namasri ‘Namo’ Niumim from Bangkok.

With grateful thanks to Patricia Serafini for producing and Eduardo Bicudo for editing the Portuguese text.

Selected References:

Hurtado, R., Saviolli, J.Y. & Vanstreels, R.E.T. (Eds) 2020.  Reabilitação de Procellariiformes: (albatrozes, petréis, pardelas).  Santos, Brazil: Editora Comunnicar.  111 pp.

Neves, T., Olmos, F., Peppes, F. & Mohr, L.V. 2006.  Neves, T., Olmos, F., Peppes, F. & Mohr, L.V. 2006.  National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (NPOA-Seabirds Brazil). Threatened Species Series No. 2.  Brasilia: Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Renewable Resources.  128 pp.

 ICMBio 2018. Plano de Ação Nacional para a Conservação dos Albatrozes e Petréis - PLANACAP 2018-2023..  Brasilia: Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - ICMBio/MMA.

John Cooper, Emeritus ACAP Information Officer, 08 January 2026

Wisdom (Z333, right) with her current mate red EX25 in November 2025, photograph by Dan Rapp

US Fish & Wildlife Service staff based on Midway Atoll have confirmed that Wisdom, the world’s oldest known Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis, now in her mid-seventies, did not lay an egg in the 2025/26 breeding season,  The septuagenarian has been visiting the atoll intermittently during the current season, including a visit in late December, and has met up with her most recent mate, colour banded red EX25 (click here).

“It’s important to note that Laysan albatrosses commonly skip breeding every 2–3 years, so this pause is a normal part of their life history—not a sign that Wisdom’s remarkable parenting story has come to an end” (information from the Facebook page of the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge).

Read more about Wisdom in numerous articles posted to ACAP Latest News over the last decade or so.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 09 January 2026