Deadly H5 bird flu found in local Australian seabird for first time

Native greater crested tern – a common coastal bird – tests positive for disease after being discovered at Robe on SA’s Limestone Coast

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The first case of deadly H5 bird flu in local wildlife has been recorded in a bird found on the South Australian coast, in what experts said was an escalation of the disease’s arrival in the country.

In New South Wales a young fur seal found at Blue Bay on the Central Coast is also being tested as a precaution for H5 bird flu. The animal died on Thursday. Test results to inform the cause of death are pending.