Northern Gannets on Bass Rock off the Scottish coast. The black iris (previously blue) of the pictured gannet indicates the bird has survived an infection from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1; photograph by Patricia Serafini

In response to continuing and wide-spread outbreaks of H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds across the globe, the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds (Task Force) has released a statement about HPAI viruses in wild birds and appropriate responses for governments, the poultry sector, wildlife and conservation management, and other stakeholders. 

The Task Force, co-convened by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), state that HPAI is causing mass mortalities of wild birds at an unprecedented scale, signalling that HPAI appears to have moved into a new phase in which “this better adapted virus is expected to continue to spread and cause further negative conservation impacts”. Concerningly, breeding colonies on oceanic islands were specifically identified as at risk. 

The Statement provides a comprehensive update on the current situation across global regions, and includes guidance on responses to HPAI, incorporating recommendations for countries affected and/ or at risk of HPAI, planning tools and resources for stakeholders including national recommendations and guidance.

Patricia Pereira Serafini is Co-convenor of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels’ Population and Conservation Status Working Group (PaCSWG) and an Environmental Analyst for Brazil’s National Centre for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds. In July 2022 Serafini co-authored a set of guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the outbreak of HPAI which are referenced in the Task Force Statement and are available at the ACAP website under Conservation Guidelines. Commenting on the Task Force’s Statement she said:

“Among the most endangered group of vertebrates in the world are the seabirds of the Order Procellariiformes, which hold albatrosses and petrels. These strictly pelagic birds breed mainly in isolated colonies on oceanic islands, and under natural circumstances are rarely exposed to new pathogens in their breeding grounds. Considering the impact of HPAI on seabird populations seen worldwide and the recent spread of the disease, outbreaks when these amazing birds congregate to breed at colonies are a potential threat to their conservation. All sites where ACAP species assemble may be at risk of exposure via migratory birds or accidental introduction by human activities (e.g. ringers, researchers and tourism) and should thus be in a state of alertness. CMS's statement on H5N1 High pathogenicity avian influenza strengthens the recommendations presented by ACAP in July 2022 regarding guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak.”

At ACAP’s recent Thirteenth Meeting of the Advisory Committee (AC13) in May, at the recommendation of the PaCSWG, the Committee decided on the formation of a group of experts on epidemiology, disease risk assessment and management to advise ACAP on issues related to the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak. The ACAP´s High Pathogenicity H5N1 Avian Influenza Intersessional Group consists of thirteen experts and is led by Serafini.

“This group is dedicated to compiling the most up-to-date information and revising the ACAP guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the ongoing global outbreak”, said Serafini. “The group will also work to recommend and prioritise ways of effectively communicating the risk to decision-makers and stakeholders within ACAP, and prepare further documents and disease risk assessments, as necessary.”

The full Statement from the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds, “H5N1 High pathogenicity avian influenza in wild birds - Unprecedented conservation impacts and urgent needs” is available here.

Reference:

CMS FAO Co-convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds (2023). Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds statement on H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza in wild birds - Unprecedented conservation impacts and urgent needs. Available at: https://www.cms.int/en/publication/h5n1-high-pathogenicity-avian- influenza-wild-birds-unprecedented-conservation-impacts 

24 July 2023

Population monitoring of Flesh-footed Shearwaters is one of the projects to be delivered by the Conservation Services Programme; photograph by Ian Hutton

New Zealand’s Conservation Services Programme (CSP) has published its 2023/2024 Annual Plan. The CSP operates under the Department of Conservation, “with the aim of avoiding, remedying, or mitigating the adverse effects of commercial fisheries on protected species.” 

The Annual Plan provides a summary of upcoming and ongoing research projects to be delivered by the CSP and is divided into three areas: 

• Interaction Projects (section 2): including the Observer Programme and seabird identification programmes.
• Population Projects (section 3): a number of population and demographic studies of albatrosses endemic to New Zealand, monitoring of the Black Petrel and White-chinned Petrel, and research into the survival and dispersal of juvenile Flesh-footed Shearwaters.
• Mitigation Projects (section 4): the Protected Species Liaison Project, the use and effectiveness of various mitigation measures and a project focussed on understanding the relationship between fishhook size and bait type with seabird and turtle captures.

The 2023/2024 Conservation Services Programme Annual Plan is available to download at the Department of Conservation website, or here.

21 July 2023

Hutton’s Shearwater at a mountain breeding site, photograph by Richard Cuthbert

Chloe Cargill (Puhi Peaks Station, Kaikōura, New Zealand) and colleagues have published in the journal Notornis on a mountain colony of the Endangered Hutton’s Shearwater Puffinus huttoni.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) is a burrowing petrel endemic to the alpine zone of the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges, New Zealand. In November 2019, we accessed an understudied breeding colony at Shearwater Stream in the Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve for the first time since a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck the region in 2016. We measured population parameters and carried out a geomorphological assessment. We estimate that the Shearwater Stream colony supports approximately 3,000 breeding pairs. Ground deformation attributed to the 2016 earthquake did not explain the discrepancy between this estimate and the commonly cited (pre-quake) population estimate of ~8,000 pairs. We highlight the limitations of extrapolated population parameters and of using vegetation cover as a coarse proxy for colony area. We discuss how low burrow occupancy and long-term reductions in the availability of suitable habitat indicate a population at risk of decline. We highlight how stable long-term data for burrow density and breeding success may not be reliable indicators of population health at Shearwater Stream.”

Reference:

Cargill, C.P., Townsend, D., McArthur, N.R., Morgenstern, R., Morrissey, M., Sherley, G. & Bell, M. 2023. The conservation status of Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) at Shearwater Stream, Kaikōura, New Zealand: a small population at risk? Notornis 70: 1-13.

20 July 2023

The Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus has been identified in the study as at high risk of exposure to plastics; photograph by Pep Arcos

A comprehensive new study, led by Bethany L. Clark (BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK) in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, the British Antarctic Survey, Fauna & Flora, and the 5 Gyres Institute, has been published open access in the journal, Nature Communications. The study focuses on the world's most endangered seabirds and their potential encounters with plastics in the ocean. By analysing tracking data from 7,137 birds representing 77 petrel species and overlaying it with global plastic distribution maps, the researchers identified the areas where seabirds are most at risk of plastic exposure.

Figure 4 from the paper which depicts the risk of plastic exposure to petrels across different global zones

The abstract follows: 

“Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.”

Articles about the research can be found at the websites of BirdLife and the British Antarctic Survey.

Reference:

Clark, B.L., Carneiro, A.P.B., Pearmain, E.J. et al. 2023. Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds. Nature Communication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38900-z

19 July 2023