Nearly 200 years after the birds Charles Darwin observed in the Galapagos Islands became symbols of his theory of evolution, the region's birds are once again in the news, with many scientists warning they could be the source of the next pandemic.
Three of the five dead birds tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1), marking the first time the deadly virus has entered the Galapagos Islands, according to the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPD). That's a worrisome sign for scientists, who have been sounding the alarm since the pathogen transitioned from seasonal concern to potential pandemic spread in 2021.
These two frigatebirds and a red-footed boobies are the H5N1 casualties confirmed after detection in mainland Ecuador.
"After preliminary examination, three of the five specimens tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza," the Galapagos National Park said in a statement.
Over the past two years, more than 500 million farmed birds have died from the virus or been culled, and conservative estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of wild birds have died globally. Thousands of sea lions have also died from the virus in South America. Skunks, mink, dogs and some humans are also infected.
While H5N1 is now widespread around the world, its emergence in the Galapagos Islands has highlighted how difficult the virus can be to control, especially since it is so common among shore-dwelling and migratory birds.
In the Galapagos Islands, 80% of the bird species are endemic. The arrival of H5N1 makes all birds extremely vulnerable. While bird flu has been around for decades, intensive farming and viral mutations have allowed it to spread in new ways.
So far, Antarctica and Australia are the only continents where no outbreaks of avian influenza have been reported in wild birds.