Avian flu made headlines in 2024 when scientists found it had reached Antarctica for the first time. Two years later, scientists have another grim update. They’ve confirmed the first Antarctic wildlife die-off caused by the rapidly spreading H5N1 virus.
An international team of scientists made the discovery during a 2024 expedition to the Antarctic peninsula, where they trudged across snowy islands collecting samples from dead animals they found along the way. Their results — published Jan. 14 in the journal Scientific Reports — painted a dark picture of the flu’s growing influence on the world’s most remote continent.
They found that avian flu was responsible for several mass deaths among skuas, a type of seabird that nests around the edges of Antarctica. The team discovered 46 dead skuas at a small volcanic formation known as Beak Island at the northern tip of the peninsula. After analyzing 10 carcasses, they determined that avian flu was the cause of death in each.
The team concluded that avian flu was probably the culprit in all 46 deaths.
