Report beached birds ❯
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Report beached birds

Avian flu warning

The H5N1 strain of avian flu was detected on the Australian mainland in June 2026, and as a result, additional caution and advice are being released that are especially relevant to beach walkers, including volunteers (citizen scientists) who are regularly reporting beach-washed seabirds to this national monitoring database. We thank you for your support and data contributions over many years; these data have played an important role in establishing ‘baseline’ mortality for different species and regions across Australia. With the arrival of avian flu, it is especially important to:

  • Stay up-to-date (detailed and regularly updated guidance here)
  • Ensure you do not touch any beach-washed seabirds when collecting photographic evidence. 
  • Groups of five (5) or more dead birds on a beach should immediately be reported to the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888
Beached bird reports

Your details

Survey details

Please click or tap on the map to indicate the general location of the beach where the survey occurred.

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Beached bird counts

Photos (bird details)

Some species can look similar. For example, in Australia we regularly see three different species of shearwater that have all-dark feathers. Two of the three species have pink feet, and two have a slender, grey-black beak. This makes ID difficult, so when taking photos, please document the colour of the feet & beak.

Photos (environment)

Please try to capture images in landscape format, aiming to capture the general volume and distribution of birds on the beach.