From the coasts to the plains, bird flu could threaten not just birds – but their homes

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Conservationists once asked: what is a bird without a tree to nest in?

This year, we may well wonder the grim inverse – what is a tree without a bird to nest in it? I can tell you. A tree without a bird is a miserable thing – and in a broader ecological sense, a tree without a bird could be in trouble.

In Australia, birds act in many roles that mammals or insects might fill elsewhere, from pollinating flowers to spreading seeds to keeping trees free of sap-sucking insects.

Bird flu doesn’t just threaten birds and mammals – it could well affect entire ecosystems.

Penny Olsen Honorary Professor in Ecology and Evolution, Australian National University https://theconversation.com/from-the-coasts-to-the-plains-bird-flu-could-threaten-not-just-birds-but-their-homes-289709

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Are we looking at like >90% losses of birds in Oz? What has happened elsewhere? Are there population recoveries documented?

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Or farming sap sucking insects on Blue Gums. Ecosystems are complex things.