Data from: Wild birds affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) worldwide: Epidemiological insights into the recent panzootic

In recent years, especially as a consequence of global change, several
emerging pathogens have caused alarming effects in wild species. One of
these pathogens, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1), is causing
global mortalities in animals with an increasing risk to humans. Wild
birds play a key role in viral transmission and spread. Using the
distribution ranges of wild bird species reported as infected, we mapped
global risk areas for viral spread and analyzed the spatio-temporal
evolution of H5N1 from 2017 to March 2025. We also examined the overlap
between the mapped risk areas and positive cases occurring in wild and
poultry over this period to evaluate whether these cases align with the
risk areas previously identified. Finally, we evaluated whether ecological
traits of wild birds, such as gregariousness, tolerance of anthropic
habitats, migratory behavior, and trophic level, are associated with the
viral infection. From 2017 to October 2020, the H5N1 high-risk areas and
cases in wild and domestic birds were few and limited to Asia and Europe.
From 2020 to 2025, the rise in H5N1 cases led to rapid expansion of
high-risk areas for virus circulation and spread to almost the entire
world. The increase in cases occurred within predicted high-risk areas for
both wild and domestic birds. The wild bird species most at risk of
contracting the viral infection were those that are gregarious, tolerant
of anthropic habitats, are non-migratory, and occupy the upper trophic
level. Our findings provide insights that could enhance surveillance and
conservation efforts aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of H5N1.
These efforts can be optimized by prioritizing high-risk regions and
species identified as particularly susceptible to H5N1.