2023 has been a bad year for emperor penguins. In August, a study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment found that the loss of polar ice in Antarctica is likely to lead to a "catastrophic breeding failure" for penguins throughout Antarctica, eventually causing them to be unable to naturally sustain their own species by the end of the century. But a virus may get them first. A new report by the British Antarctic Survey confirms the existence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on Bird Island in Antarctica's South Georgia region — a discovery that has potentially devastating implications for local bird populations.
The British Antarctic Survey became aware of HPAI on Bird Island after they were informed that individuals in a bird species known as brown skua were displaying symptoms; some were dying. Test samples confirmed the presence of HPAI, with scientists speculating that it was spread from South America by birds returning from their migrations.
