Collaborative science

We are working closely with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Country Nature Conservation Bodies (CNCBs), DEFRA, APHA, the Scottish Government, RSPB, the National Trust and other NGOs.

Our scientists have coordinated regular meetings with these other organisations, sharing our expertise and data. This ensures our efforts to tackle the outbreak and address its longer-term impacts are informed by all of the available evidence.

We regularly discuss how outbreaks could be managed, how organisations might respond to outbreaks and how we can better record sickness and mortalities.

• We have developed an HPAI Ringing Framework to mitigate any risks that may be posed to birds by ringing activities during an outbreak of avian influenza. Read more about the HPAI Ringing Framework >
• In November 2022, we held a workshop jointly with JNCC to discuss the impacts of avian influenza on wild birds, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities. Read more about the HPAI Workshop Report >
• We also share our expertise with other stakeholders. Our Director of Science James Pearce-Higgins spoke at the Parliamentary Science, Innovation and Technology Committee about avian influenza on 21 June 2023. Listen to James address the committee >

BTO’s avian influenza research

Our newly formed research team, Framing Futures, is continuing to focus on avian influenza as a key threat to our bird populations.

Reporting on mortality levels and improving future data collection

We are compiling a dataset that reports on the numbers of dead birds from October 2021 to March 2023, including information from birdwatchers, government agencies and NGOs like the RSPB.

The dataset will allow us to assess mortality levels for different species across different time periods, to gauge the immediate impact of the outbreak on populations.

We are also analysing changes in the numbers of dead ringed birds that are reported to us, to help us quantify additional levels of mortality associated with avian influenza. This information helps us identify the most affected species and locations.

This process has identified a number of potential improvements in the way that data is collected, which will support more robust data collection in the future.

Assessing the vulnerability of species and informing conservation priorities

We are carrying out vulnerability assessments to identify the species and populations which are at greatest risk from the outbreak.

Our demographic modelling work will help reveal the impacts of avian influenza on populations, and the risk that future outbreaks may pose to their conservation status. In some cases, this will also involve calculating extinction risk.

This information will be published in peer-reviewed journals and inform conservation interventions and the prioritisation of resources.

Predicting the spread of disease

We have developed tools to inform future planning and decision-making.

Through a collaboration between EURING and EuroBirdPortal, funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), we have developed a migration mapping tool which can be used to predict the spread of avian influenza based on wild bird abundance and movements across Europe. 

Data from our volunteers

Our network of volunteers provides crucial information for our research and the wider conservation community, and reveals early warning signs of further significant outbreaks.

Thanks to the efforts of birdwatchers using BirdTrack, we are able to utilise real-time information about sick or dead birds, tracking the location and spread of the disease.

This data enabled us to identify the outbreak's move from Black-headed Gulls to Common Terns, and then to Kittiwakes, as cases occurred, and inform on the ground responses to the virus.

The outbreak has also highlighted the lack of a centralised repository for the reporting of large wild bird mortalities. To tackle this issue, we have asked our BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey volunteers to record bird mortalities as part of their counts. Because these counts are carried out every month, they will provide structured information on significant waterbird mortality through the winter months.

Information on dead birds reported by the public that have been fitted with rings by licenced participants in the BTO’s Ringing Scheme has enabled us to identify sites at which mortality has occurred.

While it is not possible to confirm HPAI as the cause of death, this can be inferred by comparing dead bird reporting rates with that from previous years, taking care to account for other potential influences such as weather conditions.

Data on bird locations and movements generated by the efforts of bird ringers also make a very significant contribution to the migration mapping tools referenced above that help policy-makers to assess potential risks.

We are also considering the role of other surveys in monitoring the impacts of avian influenza, such as the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme and the Seabird Monitoring Programme.

Funding our work

We are funding our HPAI programme of work from our core funds and scheme budgets, and through targeted fundraising efforts. We launched our Avian Influenza Appeal in 2022.