Backyard bird feeding could be a bird flu ‘superspreader’. An expert explains
Experts warn that backyard bird feeding in Australia may act as a 'superspreader' for the H5N1 bird flu virus by congregating different species. The virus has already caused significant mortality in wild bird and mammal populations across the country.
Why it matters
Understanding the transmission risks of bird flu is critical for public health and the preservation of native wildlife populations.
Kamadie/Getty Backyard bird feeding could be a bird flu ‘superspreader’. An expert explains Published: August 24, 2026 12:47am EDT https://theconversation.com/backyard-bird-feeding-could-be-a-bird-flu-superspreader-an-expert-explains-290317 https://theconversation.com/backyard-bird-feeding-could-be-a-bird-flu-superspreader-an-expert-explains-290317 Link copied Share article Share article
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Backyard bird feeding is one of our country’s most popular pastimes. Research reveals about half of Australian households feed wild birds, with many people doing so daily.
However, this practice could act as a superspreader event – where a disease infects an unusually high number of people or animals – of the H5N1 virus. This deadly strain of bird flu has already decimated wild bird and mammal populations worldwide. It is now spreading across Australia, most recently killing more than 1,000 crested terns and a long-nosed fur seal, the first detection in a mainland mammal.
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