MEDIA RELEASE
14 July 2026
South Australian birding community to play important role in SA's bird flu response as new training partnership launches
Conservation SA, together with Birds SA and BirdLife Australia, has partnered with the State Government to deliver a new nation-leading training program that will empower the birding and conservation community to formally contribute to South Australia's H5 bird flu response.
The nation-leading training program has been co-designed with the three groups, combining the abundance of local expertise their members hold about wildlife in the coastal and wetland systems with current response plans.
Under the program, volunteers will be invited to sign up for the Bird Observers Network and receive specialised training to identify the signs of H5 bird flu cases in the wild and record and report observations to support the State Government’s response.
The program also provides an opportunity for the State Government to share with volunteers the latest situational awareness, guidance and associated safety protocols.
The partnership was developed through the State Government's H5 Bird Flu Stakeholder Advisory Group and will expand the existing surveillance network for H5 bird flu across the state. The training program will be open to members of Conservation SA, Birds SA and BirdLife Australia, with further details on dates, locations and registration to be announced in coming days.
South Australia has recorded five confirmed cases of H5 bird flu in seabirds: one in a Greater Crested Tern, and four in migratory Giant Petrels. Bird flu has not been detected in commercial poultry and has not become established anywhere in Australia.
This surveillance adds to existing measures including aerial patrols by helicopter, plane and drone, and ground-based field surveillance crews. The largest aerial survey conducted in South Australia in more than four decades was completed last week, covering almost 5,000 kilometres of coastline, islands and reefs, with no evidence found of widespread impacts on wildlife.
Quotes attributable to Kirsty Bevan, Conservation Council SA CEO:
"This is a big win for us and for the community. We've been calling for this level of engagement for some time, and it's a real sign that the State Government has listened.
"We've seen the devastating consequences H5 bird flu has had on wildlife internationally, and we're cautiously bracing ourselves for a range of outcomes here in South Australia.
"But if we're going to protect our wildlife as best we can, we need to work together, combining government resources with the knowledge and dedication of the people who spend their lives observing our birds and coastlines. This partnership reflects lessons learned from the algal bloom response, and it's exactly the kind of practical collaboration our community has been asking for."
RELEASE ENDS
More information: birdflu.gov.au | pir.sa.gov.au/birdflu
Media Contact:
Kirsty Bevan
CEO, Conservation Council of South Australia
CEO, Conservation Council of South Australia
[email protected]
0431 448 133
0431 448 133