A tern for the worse
Avian flu leads to ‘catastrophic’ decline
BIRD flu has sent seabirds into a “catastrophic” decline with numbers plummeting among once thriving species, a study has found.
The research by RSPB revealed two species – northern gannets and great skuas – have suffered sharp falls in their populations amid the devastating toll of the avian influenza epidemic. A third species, the sandwich tern, was previously stable but is now also falling in numbers. We told previously how bird flu had ripped through Scots populations since 2021 and a resurgence last summer led to scores of dead seabirds washing up along the east coast. Last year’s seabird census showed 70 per cent of Scotland’s seabirds were in decline, but that three species were increasing in number. However, all three of those – gannets, great skuas and terns – are now seeing falls in their populations.
Great skuas have come close to wipeout, with 76 per cent of the birds lost to the virus, while for gannets there has been a 22 per cent decline.
Scotland’s populations of the birds are internationally important – the country houses 60 per cent of the world’s breeding pairs of great skuas and 45 per cent for gannets.
Experts warned drastic measures are needed to save them from extinction.
RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, Paul Walton, said: “The sight of so many dead seabirds on our cliffs and beaches over the last few years has been heartbreaking.
“The declines in seabirds revealed by the Seabird Count census last year are nothing short of catastrophic.
“And now we know the true situation is even bleaker as we see the additional population declines that have been wrought by the new threat from bird flu originating in East Asian poultry.”