H5 Bird Flu Found in Australian Wildlife for First Time

Australia confirmed H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza in a wild brown skua seabird in Western Australia on 20 June 2026, the first detection on the mainland. The migratory bird, which roosts across the Southern Ocean, has died. The clade 2.3.4.4b strain has devastated seabird colonies globally; Australia's isolation had kept it out of local wildlife until now. Federal agriculture minister Julie Collins confirmed the discovery, triggering enhanced surveillance and biosecurity protocols.