Animals news

• Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads

  17-02-2026 08:24 via theguardian.com
  Australian Antarctic Program scientists say virus on Heard Island has spread to new speciesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe gentoo penguin has become the first bird to test positive for the H5N1 bird flu on an Australian territory, with samples confirming the virus has spread on a sub-Antarctic island.The deadly and contagious strain of bird flu, which has already killed millions
  
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• The Norwich pigeon wars: how birds are dividing a UK city

  17-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  To the local people feeding the growing flock every day, they are ‘perfect’ creatures with beautiful plumage. To others, they are creating a Hitchcockian nightmare – defecating, stealing and spreading disease. But who is right?At nine o’clock on Saturday morning, Norwich market is only just stirring: shutters are still down and the aisles are quiet. In the nearby Memorial Gardens, however, a large crowd has already gathered: the market’s pigeons are waiting to be fe
  
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• Pooping menaces or ‘flying puppies’? How pigeons are dividing a UK city

  17-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  The growing number of birds in Norwich market has pushed the council to adopt extreme measures – including a hawk and oral contraceptives. But for the city’s pigeon-loving activists, they are just misunderstood creaturesAt nine o’clock on Saturday morning, Norwich market is only just stirring: shutters are still down and the aisles are quiet. In the nearby Memorial Gardens, however, a large crowd has already gathered: the market’s pigeons are waiting to be fed.Jenny Coupl
  
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