15/10/2026
Not all bird deaths are caused by H5 bird flu. Reporting sick or dead wildlife helps us monitor the disease and protect Victoria's wildlife.
Wildlife deaths are a natural part of life in Victoria's environment. When visiting a beach, wetland, park or waterway, it’s not unusual to come across dead birds or other wildlife.
Animals can die for many reasons, including natural causes, predation by foxes and cats, severe weather, environmental conditions and disease.
It is not uncommon to observe larger numbers of dead waterbirds such as swans, pelicans and ibis near lakes and wetlands. This may be due to many factors including things like algal blooms, poor water quality, low dissolved oxygen, flooding, and diseases such as botulism, particularly as we head into the warmer spring-summer months. Larger numbers of dead migratory shorebirds and seabirds, such as shearwaters, may also be observed at this time of year washed up on Victorian beaches following their long and exhausting migration from the northern hemisphere.
As H5 bird flu continues to spread through wild bird populations, Victorians may notice an increase in reports of sick or dead birds in some areas. While not every bird death is caused by bird flu, community reports play an important role in helping experts track the disease and understand its impacts on wildlife.
