Ryding, S. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Migratory bird and marine mammal surveillance fails to find evidence for an HPAI H5N1 2.3.4.4b incursion into Australia in 2025

The panzootic caused by high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been devastating for animals, globally. Despite global spread, the virus remains absent in Oceania. Herein we report the results of our fourth year of enhanced migratory bird surveillance, coinciding with the spring migration of wild birds in 2025; none of the 847 migratory wild birds or 38 marine mammals were positive for HPAI H5N1, although we did detect LPAI. Surveillance remains a critical tool for HPAI H5N1 response, with early detection and rapid response being critical to mitigate the impacts of this virus on animal, environment and human health.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Pervasive morphological responses to climate change in bird body and appendage size

Changes to body size and shape have been identified as potential adaptive responses to climate change, but the pervasiveness of these responses is questioned. To address this, we measured body and appendage size from 5013 museum bird skins of ecologically and evolutionary diverse species. We found that morphological change is a shared response to climate change across birds. Birds increased bill surface area, tarsus length, and relative wing length through time, consistent with expectations of increasing appendage size in warmer climates. Furthermore, birds decreased in absolute wing length, consistent with the expectation of decreasing body size in warmer climates. Interestingly, these trends were generally consistent across different diets, foraging habitats, and migratory and thermoregulatory behaviours. Shorter-term responses to hot weather were contrary to long-term effects for appendages. Overall, our findings support that morphological adaptation is a widespread response to climate change in birds that is independent of other ecological traits.

evolutionary biology↗