Sea bird counts after avian flu show serious declines in three species, the charity RSPB says.
A powerful bird known as the pirate of the seas has declined dramatically because of avian flu, the RSPB says.
Populations of Gannets and Roseate Terns were also seriously reduced after avian flu killed thousands of wild birds in 2021-22.The H5N1 strain of avian flu spread to wild birds in summer 2021, causing thousands of creatures to die. "This is a wake-up call as to how serious avian flu is and it's coming on top of multiple other threats that these species face," says Jean Duggan, RSPB avian influenza policy assistant.
Almost the entire UK population of Great Skuas live in Scotland. In 2022, at least 2,591 Great Skuas died - 1,400 from one colony alone on Foula island, Shetland.Ms Duggan highlighted that Britain was pivotal in protecting the bird worldwide because so many breed in Britain.