What Happened
- A new report has identified highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 bird flu as a significant and growing threat to migratory wildlife populations globally.
- Migratory species monitored under international frameworks saw a decline of approximately 5% within just two years, a rate conservationists consider alarming.
- Massive die-offs of raptors, scavenging birds, and coastal seabirds have been documented across multiple continents, with cascading ecological consequences.
- Wild birds — particularly Anseriformes (ducks, geese, swans) — are primary drivers of H5N1 spread across flyways, transmitting the virus across continents during seasonal migrations.
- The 2020–2026 H5N1 outbreak has become the longest and most geographically widespread avian influenza event in recorded history, with detections in all 50 US states, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- HPAI H5N1 has expanded its host range beyond birds to infect mammals including sea lions, polar bears, dairy cattle, and, in sporadic cases, humans — primarily US dairy and poultry workers.
- The report underscores gaps in wildlife monitoring, making the full scale of losses difficult to quantify.
Static Topic Bridges
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) — Framework for Migratory Wildlife Protection
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty concluded in 1979 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It came into force on November 1, 1983, and aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic, and avian migratory species throughout their range. India is a party to the CMS.
- Full name: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS/Bonn Convention), 1979
- Headquarters: Bonn, Germany (Secretariat)
- India's status: Party to CMS; hosted CMS COP13 in Gandhinagar (2020)
- Appendix I: Migratory species threatened with extinction — parties obligated to strictly protect them
- Appendix II: Migratory species with unfavorable conservation status — parties encouraged to conclude multilateral agreements
- CMS data: 1 in 5 CMS-listed species is threatened with extinction; 44% are experiencing population declines; overall average decline of 15% across 1,710 monitored migratory species
- CMS Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds was established in 2005 to assess the conservation impact of HPAI spread via migratory birds
Connection to this news: The 5% decline in migratory species over two years, attributed partly to H5N1, directly concerns species listed under CMS Appendix I and II, which enjoy international protection obligations across range states.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 — Biology and Spread
Avian influenza viruses are classified as low pathogenic (LPAI) or highly pathogenic (HPAI) based on their ability to cause disease in poultry. The H5N1 strain of HPAI, in its clade 2.3.4.4b form, emerged as globally dominant in 2021 and has caused unprecedented mortality in wild birds since 2022. Migratory flyways — the routes birds follow between breeding and wintering grounds — serve as transmission corridors.
- H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b: responsible for the 2020–2026 global outbreak
- Four major flyways pass through India: Central Asian Flyway (most significant), East Asian-Australasian Flyway
- Wild waterfowl (ducks, geese) are primary reservoir hosts; often asymptomatically infected
- Raptors and scavenging birds suffer high mortality rates from infection
- Mammalian spillover: sea lions, polar bears, US dairy cattle, domestic cats — indicates host range expansion
- As of mid-2025, over 174 million birds affected in the US alone across poultry and wild bird populations
Connection to this news: The finding that migratory species are declining 5% in two years is partly attributable to HPAI H5N1 mortalities along flyways that cross multiple countries, making it a transboundary conservation emergency.
India's Approach to Avian Influenza and Wildlife Monitoring
India's wildlife and bird populations are monitored through the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), and Wetlands International's waterbird census. India has witnessed HPAI outbreaks in domestic poultry since 2006, with states like Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat detecting die-offs in wild birds including bar-headed geese and common cranes.
- India lies on the Central Asian Flyway, a major migratory route for over 500 species
- Wetland habitats — Chilika Lake (Odisha), Keoladeo Ghana (Rajasthan), Pulicat Lake (Tamil Nadu/AP) — are critical wintering grounds for migratory birds
- HPAI in poultry is a notifiable disease under India's Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza Order, 2005
- National Action Plan for Avian Influenza outlines rapid response protocols for wild bird die-offs
- The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provides protection to several species of wild birds that are vulnerable to HPAI
Connection to this news: India's central position on the Central Asian Flyway makes it a transit zone for species experiencing H5N1-linked population declines, with direct implications for wetland biodiversity.
Key Facts & Data
- CMS (Bonn Convention): established 1979, in force 1983; India is a party
- 1 in 5 CMS-listed species is threatened with extinction; 44% have declining populations
- Overall average decline of 15% across 1,710 monitored migratory species (CMS data)
- New report: 5% decline in monitored migratory wildlife within 2 years, significantly linked to H5N1
- 2020–2026 H5N1 outbreak: detections across all 50 US states, Europe, Asia, Africa
- Over 174 million birds affected in US poultry and wild bird populations as of mid-2025
- H5N1 host range now includes sea lions, polar bears, dairy cattle, and humans
- Central Asian Flyway: over 500 bird species; passes through India
- CMS COP13 hosted by India in Gandhinagar (2020)