Bird flu is spreading. Your backyard feeder could make it worse
Backyard bird feeding is being identified as a potential superspreader event for the H5N1 bird flu virus in Australia. Experts warn that congregating birds at feeders increases disease transmission risks to both wildlife and humans.
Why it matters
It highlights a public health and environmental risk associated with a common household pastime during an active disease outbreak.
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.
Although many Australians feed wild birds, the practice is controversial . This is mainly due to concerns about people offering unsuitable foods and birds becoming dependent on humans.
So why is backyard bird feeding such a problem when it comes to bird flu? And can we do it safely?
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