Learn about Avian Flu and why it is devastating birds. What can birders do to help?
Wild birds, especially waterfowl, seabirds, and shorebirds, have long been considered the natural reservoir for diverse forms of Influenza A virus (IAV), the majority of which cause little to no disease. High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has recently entered into migratory wild birds and has proven to be significantly more lethal, widespread, and species diverse than any form of IAV to date. In the past two years HPAI has reached nearly all regions of the globe, decimated many wild bird populations, and spilled over into numerous mammalian species. In this webinar we’ll discuss how HPAI has impacted wild birds in our region, and what we might expect moving forward.

Presenter Bio:
Dr. Wendy Puryear is a Scientist at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, studying how viruses are maintained, spread, and evolve in wild animals. She is especially interested in understanding the wide range of factors that impact infectious disease, from adaptations of the virus itself, to the impacts of environmental contaminants, shifting populations, and climate change. Her current research focus is on Influenza, including the recent High Path Avian Influenza, morbillivirus, and SARS-CoV-2.

Register for the Zoom webinar here.