But among the pirate life’s many perils, contracting and transmitting a deadly disease might be a new one. In a study published on Monday in the journal Conservation Letters, a team of scientists suggests these thieving seabirds might become vectors for the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu,

The deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has killed millions of birds worldwide since 2021—and in rare cases can be transmitted to humans—may be spread through the food-stealing behavior of some seabirds.

It’s easier to steal another seabird’s meal than catch your own fish. But this behaviour by skuas, frigatebirds and gulls is contributing to the spread of lethal avian influenza

A study out of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has found that high-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 can be spread through the food-stealing behavior of some seabirds, known as kleptoparasitism.

The H5N1 virus, initially restricted to Eurasia and Africa, has since spread to North and South America and even reached Antarctica in early 2024.