Scientists have detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu strain in an Australian seabird for the first time, the government announced on July 10, 2026. Laboratory testing confirmed that a greater crested tern in the town of Robe, South Australia, was infected.

Australia had been the only continental landmass free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and high death rates in poultry and wild birds worldwide. Since June, 12 cases of H5 bird flu have been confirmed in Australia, all in migratory seabirds rather than local wildlife.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins described the development as concerning but not unexpected. Speaking at a news conference in Hobart, Tasmania, she emphasized that there is currently no evidence of any mass mortality due to the virus. She also noted there is no sign the virus has spread to other animal populations, poultry, or agricultural systems, and that the risk to human health remains low.

The South Australian government has implemented enhanced surveillance in the area where the infected bird was found. Officials are investigating whether the disease arrived via birds migrating from the sub-Antarctic.

In June, scientists reported that the H5 bird flu strain had killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands, Australian external territories in the sub-Antarctic.

Minister Collins stated, "While this, of course, is a concerning development, it is not unexpected," and reiterated, "at this time there is still no evidence of any mass mortality due to the H5 bird flu."

A government spokesperson added, "What we do know is that this is a coastal seabird that has an overlapping coastal range with migratory sea birds that have previously tested positive for H5."

Sources