# More than 1,000 birds die in three South Australian mass mortality events amid H5 escalation

https://mins.news/en/item/26982

- The Guardian, 2026-08-20 06:16 UTC
- Health
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/20/more-than-1000-birds-found-dead-in-three-mass-mortality-events-amid-significant-h5-escalation-in-australia

> South Australia’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, described a significant escalation in H5 bird flu after more than 1,000 greater crested terns were found dead across three offshore-island sites. A suspected case in a little penguin on Kangaroo Island is under investigation, while Tasmania is testing 28 dead little penguins on King Island. No poultry, livestock or mammal outbreaks have been detected.

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