newsinsightplus.com 171048.Avian20152021.Almost February 13, 2024 0 Comments BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityScience & Environment’Pirate of the seas’ Great Skua in big decline after bird fluPublished7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Great Skuas steal other birds’ food and can prey on smaller creatures like puffinsBy Georgina RannardScience reporter, BBC NewsA powerful bird known as the pirate of the seas has declined dramatically because of avian flu, the RSPB says.Great Skuas soar around the UK’s coasts stealing other birds’ food but their numbers in 2023 were down by 76%, the charity says in a report.Populations of Gannets and Roseate Terns were also seriously reduced after avian flu killed thousands of wild birds in 2021-22.The numbers of the three species had been rising before the outbreak.The H5N1 strain of avian flu spread to wild birds in summer 2021, causing thousands of creatures to die.The findings make it clear that avian flu is “one of the biggest immediate conservation threats faced by multiple seabirds”, says the RSBP.”This is a wake-up call as to how serious avian flu is and it’s coming on top of multiple other threats that these species face,” says Jean Duggan, RSPB avian influenza policy assistant.The RSPB surveyed 13 bird species in May-July 2023, and concluded that avian flu had caused the decline of Great Skuas, Gannets and Roseate Terns, and was very likely to have caused reductions of Sandwich and Common Terns.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Thousands of Gannets are estimated to have died from avian fluGannet populations are down by 25%, Roseate Terns by 21%, Sandwich Terns by 35% and Common Terns by 42% compared with a major census of bird populations in 2015-2021.Almost the entire UK population of Great Skuas live in Scotland. In 2022, at least 2,591 Great Skuas died – 1,400 from one colony alone on Foula island, Shetland.The total number in the UK has declined from 9,088 to 2,160.Ms Duggan highlighted that Britain was pivotal in protecting the bird worldwide because so many breed in Britain. “It’s empowering to realise that if we take the right actions in the UK it will actually benefit global populations to a very significant degree,” she says.Gannets were also badly affected in 2022, with 11,175 killed in Scotland and an estimated 5,000 mortalities at Grassholm in Wales.In 2023 the total number counted in the UK had declined by 25%, going from 227,129 to 171,048.Avian flu become less acute in the UK in recent months, but it has caused mass mortalities of birds in other parts of the world. In January it was detected in elephant and fur seals in Antarctica for the first time.”While the virus is still present globally, UK birds are still at risk, and the virus will continue to mutate. We need to consider it a long-term threat,” says Ms Duggan.Climate change, mortality linked to fishing, the effects of offshore wind developments and a reduction in the availability of food are other threats facing UK seabirds, according to the RSBP.Related TopicsRSPBTop StoriesLabour withdraws support for Rochdale candidate after Israel remarksPublished24 minutes agoBiden says Israel must protect vulnerable in RafahPublished2 hours agoWatch: ‘Whose daughter is she?’ – on patrol with Gaza’s paramedics. VideoWatch: ‘Whose daughter is she?’ – on patrol with Gaza’s paramedicsPublished8 hours agoFeaturesWhy do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? VideoWhy do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?Declan McKenna: ‘I realised I don’t have to be serious’The Papers: Labour ‘axes’ candidate and ‘Corrie Ken’s £550k tax bill’Greece on the brink of legalising same-sex marriageWhy US economy is powering ahead of Europe’sIsrael’s Rafah assault looms, but with no plan yet for civiliansWhy it’s expensive to make music festivals greenerWhat does Taylor mania mean for the globe?Indonesia’s ‘man of the people’ plays kingmakerElsewhere on the BBCOne of the most divisive industrial disputes in the UK40 years after the miners strike, Chris Jackson speaks to people on both sidesAttributionSoundsWhich Radiohead classic did Beverley Knight cover?It may be Just the song you want to hear today…AttributioniPlayer’All I was trying to do was escape reality…’Karl Williams’ party boy trip changes everything when he is busted with a kilo of drugsAttributioniPlayerWhat is the point of Ofsted inspections?The Education Select Committee has said that Ofsted and the Government must rebuild trustAttributionSoundsMost Read1Man calls 999 to report himself for drink-driving2Labour ‘axes’ candidate and ‘Corrie Ken’s £550k tax bill’3RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad4Labour withdraws support for Rochdale candidate5’Pirate of the seas’ in big decline after bird flu6What does Taylor mania mean for the globe?7Pesticide maker used ‘weak’ data on Parkinson’s8Slave trader statue may formally move into museum9Pay growth slows but still outpaces rising prices10Trump endorses daughter-in-law for RNC leadership [ad_1] Sea bird counts after avian flu show serious declines in three species, the charity RSPB says. Continue reading
newsinsightplus.com 171048.Avian20152021.Almost February 13, 2024 0 Comments BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityScience & Environment’Pirate of the seas’ Great Skua in big decline after bird fluPublished7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Great Skuas steal other birds’ food and can prey on smaller creatures like puffinsBy Georgina RannardScience reporter, BBC NewsA powerful bird known as the pirate of the seas has declined dramatically because of avian flu, the RSPB says.Great Skuas soar around the UK’s coasts stealing other birds’ food but their numbers in 2023 were down by 76%, the charity says in a report.Populations of Gannets and Roseate Terns were also seriously reduced after avian flu killed thousands of wild birds in 2021-22.The numbers of the three species had been rising before the outbreak.The H5N1 strain of avian flu spread to wild birds in summer 2021, causing thousands of creatures to die.The findings make it clear that avian flu is “one of the biggest immediate conservation threats faced by multiple seabirds”, says the RSBP.”This is a wake-up call as to how serious avian flu is and it’s coming on top of multiple other threats that these species face,” says Jean Duggan, RSPB avian influenza policy assistant.The RSPB surveyed 13 bird species in May-July 2023, and concluded that avian flu had caused the decline of Great Skuas, Gannets and Roseate Terns, and was very likely to have caused reductions of Sandwich and Common Terns.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Thousands of Gannets are estimated to have died from avian fluGannet populations are down by 25%, Roseate Terns by 21%, Sandwich Terns by 35% and Common Terns by 42% compared with a major census of bird populations in 2015-2021.Almost the entire UK population of Great Skuas live in Scotland. In 2022, at least 2,591 Great Skuas died – 1,400 from one colony alone on Foula island, Shetland.The total number in the UK has declined from 9,088 to 2,160.Ms Duggan highlighted that Britain was pivotal in protecting the bird worldwide because so many breed in Britain. “It’s empowering to realise that if we take the right actions in the UK it will actually benefit global populations to a very significant degree,” she says.Gannets were also badly affected in 2022, with 11,175 killed in Scotland and an estimated 5,000 mortalities at Grassholm in Wales.In 2023 the total number counted in the UK had declined by 25%, going from 227,129 to 171,048.Avian flu become less acute in the UK in recent months, but it has caused mass mortalities of birds in other parts of the world. In January it was detected in elephant and fur seals in Antarctica for the first time.”While the virus is still present globally, UK birds are still at risk, and the virus will continue to mutate. We need to consider it a long-term threat,” says Ms Duggan.Climate change, mortality linked to fishing, the effects of offshore wind developments and a reduction in the availability of food are other threats facing UK seabirds, according to the RSBP.Related TopicsRSPBTop StoriesLabour withdraws support for Rochdale candidate after Israel remarksPublished24 minutes agoBiden says Israel must protect vulnerable in RafahPublished2 hours agoWatch: ‘Whose daughter is she?’ – on patrol with Gaza’s paramedics. VideoWatch: ‘Whose daughter is she?’ – on patrol with Gaza’s paramedicsPublished8 hours agoFeaturesWhy do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? VideoWhy do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?Declan McKenna: ‘I realised I don’t have to be serious’The Papers: Labour ‘axes’ candidate and ‘Corrie Ken’s £550k tax bill’Greece on the brink of legalising same-sex marriageWhy US economy is powering ahead of Europe’sIsrael’s Rafah assault looms, but with no plan yet for civiliansWhy it’s expensive to make music festivals greenerWhat does Taylor mania mean for the globe?Indonesia’s ‘man of the people’ plays kingmakerElsewhere on the BBCOne of the most divisive industrial disputes in the UK40 years after the miners strike, Chris Jackson speaks to people on both sidesAttributionSoundsWhich Radiohead classic did Beverley Knight cover?It may be Just the song you want to hear today…AttributioniPlayer’All I was trying to do was escape reality…’Karl Williams’ party boy trip changes everything when he is busted with a kilo of drugsAttributioniPlayerWhat is the point of Ofsted inspections?The Education Select Committee has said that Ofsted and the Government must rebuild trustAttributionSoundsMost Read1Man calls 999 to report himself for drink-driving2Labour ‘axes’ candidate and ‘Corrie Ken’s £550k tax bill’3RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad4Labour withdraws support for Rochdale candidate5’Pirate of the seas’ in big decline after bird flu6What does Taylor mania mean for the globe?7Pesticide maker used ‘weak’ data on Parkinson’s8Slave trader statue may formally move into museum9Pay growth slows but still outpaces rising prices10Trump endorses daughter-in-law for RNC leadership [ad_1] Sea bird counts after avian flu show serious declines in three species, the charity RSPB says. Continue reading