Avian influenza

What is BTO doing to help tackle HPAI?

As the custodian and coordinator of national datasets of wild bird populations, including their abundance, distributions, and demographics, we are uniquely placed to provide insights and commentary on this issue.

Collaborative science

We are working with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Country Nature Conservation Bodies (CNCBs), DEFRA, APHA, Scottish Government, RSPB, and other NGOs and administrations to understand the impacts on bird populations and how to tackle the avian flu challenge.

Our scientists have coordinated regular meetings with these other organisations, sharing our expertise and data, so that efforts to tackle the outbreak and address its longer-term impacts are informed by the available evidence.

Utilising volunteer data

Maintaining, supporting and growing our network of volunteers provides a vital service to the wider conservation community and provides crucial information for a wide array of uses, including the assessment of HPAI impacts.

Thanks to the efforts of birdwatchers using BirdTrack, our volunteers and supporters, on the ground responses to the virus are informed by the best available evidence of wildbird numbers and movements.

• This information is used to assess the current risk that avian influenza poses to different species groups, which is used to guide BTO ringing activities. Our decisions about ringing activities during the outbreak are separate from those of the Country Nature Conservation Bodies. 

Assessing the vulnerability of bird species

We are carrying out vulnerability assessments, identifying the species and populations which are at greatest risk from the outbreak. This information will help to inform conservation responses and the prioritisation of resources.

Our modelling work will help to reveal the likely medium-term impacts of the outbreak on populations, and the risk that future outbreaks may pose to their future conservation status. In some cases, this will also involve the calculation of extinction risk.

• This is particularly relevant in the case of our breeding seabirds, which tend to be long-lived, slow to reach sexual maturity and, as a consequence, slow to recover from substantial population losses.

Informing future planning and decision-making

We have been developing tools to inform future planning and decision-making. Through a collaboration between EURING and EuroBirdPortal, funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), we have developed a migration mapping tool to inform the management of future avian influenza outbreaks.

• This approach can be extended to develop predictive models of avian influenza spread in domestic birds based on wild bird abundance and movements across Europe.

Informing our supporters

Our membership magazines, other supporter communications and social media feeds continue to carry articles and updates about HPAI and our response to it. 

We have done a lot to respond to this crisis and our plans are to continue to play as big a role as we can in helping to safeguard bird populations and assist with their recovery.

• We will provide supporters with regular updates about developments in this area and, in particular, about the progress we are making to help.

Funding our work

We are funding this work both from our core funds, from scheme budgets, and through targeted fundraising efforts. We launched our Avian Influenza Appeal in 2022. 

Frequently asked questions

• If you have questions about the health and hygiene aspects of avian influenza, please see our information about the additional health and safety risks associated with avian flu.

What should I do if I find a dead bird?

Birdwatchers can be of great assistance in staying alert for unusual cases of mortality or sickness in wild birds. Many thousands of birds die every week of natural causes and so it is not unusual to occasionally find dead individuals.

In England, Scotland and Wales: 

• Report dead wild birds to Defra.
• If you know the species, ALSO report the dead bird to BirdTrack.

In Northern Ireland:

• Report dead wild birds to DAERA.
• If you know the species, ALSO report the dead bird to BirdTrack.

Read more information and advice about dead birds in England, Scotland and Wales, and in Northern Ireland. 

Where possible, avoid directly touching any dead birds. If you move a dead bird e.g. if a cat brings one into your house or you need to check if it is ringed, invert a plastic bag over your hand and pick the bird up in the plastic.

If the bird is ringed, report the ring details to BTO using the EURING website, then draw the bag over your hand and tie it up and dispose of it in your usual household waste, and wash your hands with soap and water.

Some key sites have been selected to collect more detailed information on wild bird mortality via the Epicollect systems. These Epicollect sites are contacted by the relevant SNCBs (Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot, NIEA) with details.