Avian Influenza Threatens Wildlife in Antarctica, Chilean Scientist Warns

A Chilean scientist has warned that avian influenza is spreading across Antarctica, posing a growing threat to wildlife across the frozen continent.

Víctor Neira, who has studied bird flu in Antarctica for nearly a decade, said the virus is now present in areas previously considered among the most isolated ecosystems on Earth. 

Avian influenza has affected much of the world since 2021, devastating bird and mammal populations across several continents.

In April 2024, Neira and his research team identified a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza in five skuas, seabirds that primarily inhabit polar regions. 

The findings were published in the Swiss scientific journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Speaking to Swiss radio outlet Radio Lac, Neira warned that the disease is capable of killing entire bird populations within short periods.

Since its initial detection, the virus has spread to other native bird species. Cases have been recorded along 900 kilometers of the western coastline surveyed by scientists.

“The virus has fully spread throughout the Antarctic region that we are able to study,” Neira said.

During the most recent austral summer expedition, new infections were confirmed in around 10 species, including Antarctic shags, kelp gulls, Adélie penguins, gentoo penguins, and Antarctic fur seals.

Although the affected species are not currently classified as at high risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Neira stressed that Antarctic species are generally rare on a global scale.

Populations of Antarctic shags and polar skuas are estimated at only around 20,000 individuals. Continued spread of the virus, he warned, could push severely impacted species toward extinction.

The outbreak forms part of a global wave of avian influenza that has swept across the Americas, Asia, and Europe since 2021, driven largely by migratory bird movements.

In 2023 alone, nearly 1,300 Humboldt penguins, roughly 10 percent of the species’ population in Chile, died from bird flu, according to national fisheries authorities.

Scientists now fear that Antarctica, long shielded by its isolation, is no longer immune to the global spread of infectious disease.