H5 pandemic in the making? Minks may become the bird flu vector for humans

Spain’s bird flu outbreak in minks hints at a mutating virus    

Unique birds are at a higher risk of going extinct, finds study

Threat of extinction can have severe consequences on ecosystem functioning 

India’s first bird flu death: Back to zoonotic diseases

The disease has been on India’s radar since 2006; need to strengthen disease surveillance, train workforce and build robust …

Kerala bird flu: Thousands of ducks to be culled in Alappuzha after reports of confirmed cases

The circulating H5N1 strain has killed millions of birds and mammals, including polar bear and penguins

First polar bear to die of bird flu – what are the implications?

Any further cases might also be closely associated with outbreaks of H5N1 in a nearby seabird colony

In a first, a polar bear has died of avian flu in the Arctic

Ecosystems in polar regions are particularly vulnerable to bird flu because they contain many animals found nowhere else in the world and never …

One in three species threatened with extinction, action needed, says study

Growing conservation investments and efforts could put off the risk of extinction for one in three species that can be threatened or extinct by 2100

COVID-19 takes a toll on Chilika’s boatmen

As many as 10,000 boatmen have been looking for alternate sources of income

Saving a disappearing forest with the feather of a bird: Cameroon’s unique conservation story

The Bannerman’s Turaco bird has cultural value for the local community & may vanish if trees are cut down

Multiple threats cause huge decline in migratory waterbirds in Africa, Eurasia

Proportion of decrease in AEWA waterbird population is higher in central and southwest Asia and eastern and southern Africa

Bird flu confirmed in Sambhar, 80 birds dead in 5 days

Veterinarians deployed by local administration yet to reach bird flu-hit Sambhar

Thick ones, pointy ones – how albatross beaks evolved to match their prey

Beak size, shape varied between albatross species, making it a useful tool for identifying species that otherwise look similar

Bird flu: UK is seeing its largest ever outbreak – which may prove particularly deadly for wild birds

While measures to control avian flu help mitigate risks to poultry and people, they do little to help wild birds

Forests are breaking up in tropics but coming together elsewhere — here’s what it means for wildlife & climate

Forest fragmentation is bad news for many unique animal and plant species 

Animal biodiversity loss limits plants’ ability to adapt to climate change globally: Experts

India 

Odisha bird poaching: 2 arrested with carcass of migratory birds in Chilika

Around 5 poachers have been arrested in the state since October 

China records first human death from H3N8 bird flu

China alerted WHO 24 days after the woman was hospitalised & 11 days after her death, against the mandated 24 hours

Avian flu H5N1 spreads to 40 cattle in Minnesota, US; three workers infected

CDC has marked risk to humans as ‘low’ with no human-to-human spread reported so far  

WHO confirms first death from bird flu strain H5N2 in Mexico

59-year-old patient had underlying multiple health conditions, but officials face challenges in tracing the source of infection

Bird flu has been circulating among cows in US for months: Genome study reveals multiple mutations

Genomic analysis shows occasional jumping back of virus from infected cows to birds and cats, suggesting multi-host outbreak

First penguin deaths in sub-Antarctic region attributed to bird flu strain

The highly infectious avian influenza strain H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has killed millions of birds and mammals across the globe

Quelea: Environmentalists protest Kenyan government’s move to poison millions of ‘feathered locusts’

Experts champion mechanical control of the birds & other alternative methods like monitoring their breeding & migratory patterns, …

Himalayan birds at higher risk of losing unique traits: Study

The global extinction crisis will lead to widespread losses of morphological diversity above that expected by species loss alone

Four-year-old from West Bengal confirmed as second human case of H9N2 bird flu in India

China, Vietnam and India have reported seven cases of infection among children and adults so far this year

How Assam’s Deepor Beel is perishing from concretisation, waste dumping

The lake is home to exotic birds, wildlife and supports livelihoods of hundreds