Ducks travel patterns may slow bird flu
A University of Georgia study summarized by Georgia Public Broadcasting found that ducks travel less far when their needs are met, which could change how avian-flu spreads across habitats. The finding suggests wildlife behavior could be a factor officials use when modelling transmission risk (gpb.org).
Bird flu does not move only on long migrations; a new University of Georgia study found ducks and other waterfowl often spread risk through much shorter daily trips. (gpb.org) The study, published in *Ecology Letters* in 2026, analyzed 20 years of tracking data from 4,606 waterfowl across 26 species in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers linked those movements to land cover, weather, and vegetation. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Waterfowl moved less in landscapes with mixed habitat and higher human population density, the paper found. In more uniform places such as broad grasslands or farmland, birds traveled about six times farther to find food or safe resting areas. (news.uga.edu) That matters because avian influenza spreads through infected birds, contaminated water, and contact between wild birds and poultry. The United States Geological Survey says wild-bird surveillance is used as an early warning system for the poultry sector and for outbreak response. (usgs.gov) The Georgia team focused on the “commute” trips birds make in winter and breeding season, not just the headline-grabbing migration flights between continents. Lead author Claire Teitelbaum said birds move less when sleeping, feeding, and shelter habitat sit close together. (gpb.org) In practical terms, a bird that stays within about a mile of its home range may carry virus across a smaller area than a bird crossing a wide open landscape each day. The same paper also says shorter trips could concentrate outbreaks into tighter local hotspots. (news.uga.edu) Federal scientists have been trying to model exactly those risks since highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 reappeared in North American wild birds in December 2021. The United States Geological Survey says more than 10,000 wild birds from more than 160 North American species had confirmed H5 or H5N1 detections by February 10, 2025. (usgs.gov) The new work adds habitat to the map. Instead of asking only where ducks migrate, managers can ask where wetlands, green spaces, farms, roads, and human development make birds stay put or range farther. (news.uga.edu) Teitelbaum told University of Georgia researchers they can use the environment to predict how much birds are moving and then estimate where avian flu may go next. For bird flu control, the next clue may be not how far ducks can fly, but how little they need to. (news.uga.edu)
