Why it matters: The Penguins are already under pressure.
The familiar black and white birds face many threats, including climate change, pollution and commercial fishing. Three species of Antarctic penguins – emperor penguins, southern rockhopper penguins and spaghetti penguins – are listed as vulnerable or near threatened.
Before H5N1 arrived in the Antarctic region last fall, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses had never been recorded in the region. This means that penguins are likely to have little existing immunity. And because they breed in large, crowded colonies, once a penguin is infected, the virus could spread quickly, causing mass mortality. (As the virus spread across South America last year, Chile reported the deaths of thousands of Humboldt penguins.)
The extent of the spread of the virus in Antarctic penguin populations remains unclear.
In the Falkland Islands, some gentoo penguins appeared to be sick or lethargic, and a small number showed neurological symptoms, before they were found dead, Ms Heathman said. The virus has not yet been confirmed in any other local penguin species, he said, but testing of rockhopper penguins is ongoing.
At least one suspected case has also been reported in king penguins in South Georgia, another British territory, according the Antarctic Wildlife Health Network, of which it is a part Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.
That report was based on one dead king penguin, and researchers have not seen an increase in penguin deaths at that location, said Laura Willis, chief executive of the Government of South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. “We are monitoring the situation on all the islands,” he said.
Background: Scientists are concerned about the spread of the virus in Antarctica.
The virus, which first appeared in 2020, has taken an unprecedented toll on wild birds and mammals. After the virus was detected at the top of South America last year, OFFLUa global network of flu experts, warned that the pathogen could spread to Antarctica next.
The Antarctic region provides critical breeding ground for more than 100 million birds as well as seals, sea lions and other marine mammals. If the virus reached the region, its impact on these animals “could be enormous,” OFFLU said in a statement last August.
Just two months later, the virus was detected in brown squash in South Georgia, the first cases in the region. Since then, infections have been confirmed in several other bird species, as well as elephant seals and fur seals. These marine mammals also breed in large colonies and suffered heavy losses as the virus spread to South America, where tens of thousands of seals and sea lions were reported dead. Scientists worry that the same fate may befall Antarctic seals as the virus spreads.
No infections have yet been reported on the Antarctic mainland, although experts said the virus may already be spreading there undetected.