Bird flu causing ‘catastrophic’ fall in UK seabird numbers, conservationists warn

Report by RSPB and British Trust for Ornithology finds H5N1 has killed three-quarters of great skua and 25% of northern gannets

The UK has lost more than three-quarters of its great skuas on surveyed sites since bird flu struck, according to the first report quantifying the impact of H5N1 on seabird populations.

The deaths have happened over two years, since the outbreak of H5N1 in 2021. The UK is internationally important for seabirds, home to most of the world’s 16,000 pairs of nesting great skuas.