“ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE”
“What we do know is that this is a coastal seabird that has an overlapping coastal range with migratory sea birds that have previously tested positive for H5.”
The South Australian state government had implemented “enhanced surveillance” in the area where the bird was found, she said.
There has been concern that the deadly disease could add to the extinction risks faced by Australian fauna, many of which are unique to the vast continent.
Almost half of Australia’s wild bird species, and 83 per cent of its mammals, are found nowhere else.
The wild birds most affected by the H5 strain include waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds and birds of prey.
Marine mammals have also been affected, with some detections in other animals such as cats, goats, alpacas and pigs.
Officials have previously said they are investigating if the disease arrived in Australia via birds migrating from the sub-Antarctic.
Scientists said in June the H5 bird flu strain had killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands, one of Australia’s external territories in the sub-Antarctic.
