Ecoepidemiology of Avian Influenza and other diseases in Dalmatian pelicans

In spring 2022, Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus populations in SE Europe were severely affected by an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (hereafter HPAI) virus. Over 40% of the SE European breeding population was lost, corresponding to approximately 10% of the global population of the species. Almost 2,300 DPs died in Greece, and another 190 DP deaths were recorded in Albania, Montenegro and Romania. The largest breeding colony of the species on Earth, at Lesser (Mikri) Prespa Lake in NW Greece, suffered major losses. From February to April 2022, the virus (H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b) killed almost 1,800 adult DPs in Prespa, about 60% of the colony. This outbreak was the worst ecological disaster ever suffered by the country’s wildlife.

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