Health

Experts warn backyard bird feeders could accelerate spread of H5N1 strain in Australia

Approximately half of Australian households feed wild birds, creating potential infection hotspots as avian influenza affects native wildlife.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 14:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

Health and wildlife experts warn that backyard bird feeders bring wild bird species together unnaturally, creating potential transmission hotspots for the H5N1 bird flu virus in Australia.
The H5N1 outbreak has recently killed over 1,000 crested terns and marked its first detection in an Australian mainland mammal by killing a long-nosed fur seal.
Experts recommend halting bird feeding entirely as the safest measure, or significantly reducing food portions, ending hand-feeding, and disinfecting equipment with bleach if feeding continues.

Roughly 50% of Australian households feed wild birds, with a significant number doing so on a daily basis.[ScienceDaily]
The H5N1 virus killed more than 1,000 crested terns and a long-nosed fur seal in Australia, the latter representing the first detection of the strain in a mainland mammal.[ScienceDaily]
Scavengers including red foxes, possums, and crows risk H5N1 exposure when consuming carcasses of infected birds.[ScienceDaily]
Human H5N1 infection remains rare and generally leads to mild symptoms, but transmission risks increase through direct physical contact like hand-feeding.[ScienceDaily]
Members of the public are instructed not to handle sick or dead wildlife, but to report sightings to Australia's Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.[ScienceDaily]

The full extent of H5N1's potential impact on threatened wildlife populations, such as the orange-bellied parrot, remains uncertain as the outbreak spreads.[ScienceDaily]