Updated 30 September 2026

H5N1 bird flu has reached Victoria. The state's first case was confirmed on 30 July 2026, in a greater crested tern near Portland, on the south-west coast. Since then, the virus has spread through wild bird populations, with more than 70 positive detections recorded by mid-August – mostly in terns, but also in silver gulls and a fluttering shearwater – at locations from Portland and Warrnambool to Phillip Island and Mildura.

Where things stand currently:

• H5N1 has been detected in wild birds across Victoria.
• There have been no detections in poultry or livestock anywhere in Australia.
• The risk to human health remains very low.

This is a fast-moving situation, and we want to provide clear and timely information as it develops.

What is H5N1 bird flu?

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (bird flu). The version now circulating has spread around the world since 2020, carried by migratory birds. It has caused mass deaths of wild birds and marine mammals such as seals and sea lions across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Antarctica.

Previous bird flu outbreaks in Australia were mostly confined to poultry farms. H5N1 is different: it spreads through wild birds, which makes it much harder to contain and a serious threat to native wildlife. Seabirds, shorebirds, waterbirds, birds of prey and marine mammals are among the species most at risk.

Found a sick or dead bird?

The current public advice is:

• Don't touch – avoid direct contact with sick or dead wildlife, and keep pets away.
• Record – note what you see and where, and take photos or video if you can do so safely.
• Report – immediately, online through Agriculture Victoria or by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Report any single sick or dead seabird, waterbird, shorebird, bird of prey or marine mammal, or any group of five or more sick or dead birds.

Asking the hard questions

Before H5N1 reached Victoria, the Animal Justice Party pressed the government for answers on wildlife rescue, testing, duck shooting and farmed birds.

On the day the first Victorian case was confirmed, Georgie Purcell MP asked in Parliament whether the 2027 duck shooting season would go ahead, and what new support would be provided to the volunteer wildlife rescuers who are transporting, monitoring and caring for sick birds.

Supporting wildlife rescuers and vets

Wildlife rescuers and vets are on the front line of this outbreak. Georgie Purcell MP is advocating for them to receive:

• Clear answers and protocols
• Protective equipment
• Dedicated funding
• Accessible testing

Guarantee the Marine Response Unit

Victoria needs its Marine Response Unit now more than ever. Zoos Victoria's Marine Response Unit (MRU) rescues and responds to seals, seabirds and other marine life, and assisted in 977 cases across the state in a single year. It fills a critical gap that volunteer networks usually can't, and eases pressure on rescuers who are already stretched.

But funding uncertainty has put the MRU's future at risk, right at the time when animals need this life-saving service most. We're calling for the government to guarantee funding for the Marine Response Unit now.

What does it mean for the animals?

When poultry lockdowns made the news in August, a national morning TV program asked: "What does this mean for supply?".

We want to know: what does it mean for the animals?

Victoria has ordered poultry owners with 50 or more birds in southern and coastal council areas, including Melbourne, to keep their birds housed to prevent contact with wild birds. The order began in August for 14 days and has since been extended until at least 16 October 2026.

At the time of writing, H5N1 has not been detected in Australian poultry, but it continues to be detected in wild birds in Victoria and other states.

For free-range hens, lockdowns mean losing access to the outdoors and being confined indoors. Yet the public conversation so often focuses on supply.

Animals are not units of production, or stock to be salvaged. We need a food system that puts animal wellbeing at its centre, not one that waits for animals to become the casualties of the next crisis.

This must not happen again

In 2024, during an outbreak of a different bird flu strain (H7), around 30,000 ducks on a Victorian farm were suffocated beneath firefighting foam as part of the response.

This cannot happen again. The government must invest in more humane alternatives and keep farmed bird welfare reforms on track.

Bird flu must not become an excuse for more cruelty.