Avian influenza amplified age-related mortality in a long-lived seabird.

Authors

Wouter Courtens, Mónika Ballmann, Ruben Fijn, Morten Frederiksen, Susanne Kühn, Luc Lens, Mardik Leopold, Sander Lilipaly, Florian Packmor, Eric W M Stienen, Peter van Horssen, Ulrich Knief

Published in

Nature communications. Volume 17. Issue 1. Aug 19, 2026. Epub Aug 19, 2026.

Abstract

In recent years, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses have caused mass mortality events in seabirds worldwide, raising concern for long-lived species with low reproductive rates. Using 28 years of ringing data together with individual-level data from the 2022 mass mortality event in northwestern European Sandwich terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis), we show that mortality was biased towards older individuals, while no sex bias was observed. HPAI-related mortality increased from approximately 5-10% in young breeders to more than 40% in the oldest individuals. This age-biased loss likely removed the most experienced individuals from the population. Our findings highlight a previously underappreciated mechanism through which HPAI outbreaks may impair the resilience of long-lived avian populations.

PMID:
42618581
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Aug 2026.

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