Tasmanian devils, swift parrots, black swans: the animals at risk if bird flu takes off in Australia

A Western Australian black swan. State and federal governments have been preparing for the likely arrival of the H5N1 bird flu strain for several years. Photograph: Travelscape Images/Alamy View image in fullscreen A Western Australian black swan. State and federal governments have been preparing for the likely arrival of the H5N1 bird flu strain for several years. Photograph: Travelscape Images/Alamy Tasmanian devils, swift parrots, black swans: the animals at risk if bird flu takes off in Australia Federal government identifies more than 150 native and unique bird species and 10 mammal species at ‘very high risk’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 150 of Australia’s native and unique bird species have been assessed as being at “very high risk” of extinction or major decline if they catch the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, with Western Australia’s celebrated black swans among the most susceptible. The federal government analysis of Australia’s 800 different birds and 350 mammals reflects the high level of concern among experts about the arrival of the H5N1 strain, which has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world. Australia was the only continent free of the contagious strain until tests confirmed a brown skua and a giant petrel – found sick a few kilometres from each other on the Western Australian coastline near Esperance – both had the strain. Can I get sick from bird flu? What are the symptoms, and are chicken and eggs safe to eat? Read more On Tuesday, WA authorities said no new cases had been found and there was no evidence the virus had spread into other wild populations. State and federal governments have been preparing for the likely arrival of the disease for several years, including the development of 100 response plans for species and habitats and a risk analysis for Australian species. A federal environment department spokesperson said: “Many of our birds and mammals are not found anywhere else in the world, making the impacts of H5 bird flu difficult to predict.” Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email There were more than 150 bird species unique to Australia “considered at very high risk” under the risk analysis, the spokesperson said. They included the red goshawk, fairy tern, plains-wanderer, shy albatross, black swan and western hooded plover. Migratory species like the short-tailed shearwater – famed for its 15,000km migration from the Arctic Circle to Australia – were also at very high risk. At a high risk were the swift parrot and orange-bellied parrot, both critically endangered in Australia. Chris Purnell, the wetland and migratory shorebird program manager at BirdLife Australia, advised on the analysis and said it had considered both the risk of extinction at a species level or at a regional population level. “For these endemic birds, there’s no avenue for repopulation from outside Australia. If they are gone, then they are gone.” Map showing location of Esperance in W