Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads | Bird flu
The gentoo penguin has become the first bird to test positive for H5N1 avian flu on Australian soil, with samples confirming the virus spread to a sub-Antarctic island.
The deadly and contagious strain of avian flu, which has already killed millions of seabirds, wild birds and poultry overseas, was confirmed in elephant seals on southern Heard Island in November 2025.
Sea lions and gentoo penguins have now tested positive for the virus, according to the federal government, after more samples were collected by Australian Antarctic Program scientists during a second trip to Heard Island.
The island is an Australian territory located approximately 4,000 km southwest of Perth and 1,700 km north of Antarctica.
Professor Hugh Possingham, vice-president of BirdLife Australia, said the spread of the virus to other species was “a very concerning development”.
“Heard Island gentoo penguins are now the first birds from an Australian territory to test positive for this virus which has devastated wildlife around the world,” Possingham said. “They certainly won’t be the last.”
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He said the H5N1 virus could pose a significant threat to the survival of other Australian birds, including the Heard Island cormorant and the Heard Island sheathbill, which are species found nowhere else on Earth.
“Since the virus was first suspected and then confirmed on Heard Island, we have asked the government very directly how wildlife protection measures are being strengthened to protect Australian wildlife from this virus which is very clearly on the move,” he said.
“We are disappointed that these questions remain largely unanswered. »
In an update released Tuesday, the federal government said Australia remained free of the H5N1 virus and the additional detections did not materially increase the risk.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the Government took the threat of bird flu seriously and had invested more than $100 million to strengthen preparedness and response capacity.
“While the continued detections of H5 avian influenza on Heard Island are not unexpected, it reinforces the need for Australia to remain focused on preparing for a possible outbreak,” she said.
“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility, and Australia’s success depends on close cooperation between governments, industry, communities and individuals. »
The H5N1 virus entered Antarctica during the 2023-24 season, with the first detections in South Georgia and then the Antarctic Peninsula. The following year it spread to Marion Island and the French sub-Antarctic islands Kerguelen and Crozet, located about 500 km from Heard and McDonald Islands.
Dr Michelle Wille, a bird flu virus expert at the University of Melbourne, described the disease as “catastrophic for wildlife” and said H5N1 had already spread thousands of kilometers over the ocean.
She said it was “conceivable that the virus could theoretically spread from where it is currently to Australia”. [and] Subantarctic islands of New Zealand such as Macquarie Island. And from there, it’s not very far to reach Australia itself.
“We are at risk of this virus coming to Australia, either through this potential southern route or a northern route,” she said, making surveillance and preparation extremely important.
