Until now, Australia has been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, although the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island, about 4,100 km from continental Australia.
Testing had confirmed the bird, found sick near Esperance, a town about 570 km southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, had the deadly strain, the government said. The virus had yet to show up in Australia's poultry or agriculture.
Human infections of the virus remain rare, although the highly pathogenic avian influenza has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices.
