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Lorne Gill / NatureScot

The puffin, probably the UK's most iconic seabird, has also been hit – with young pufflings amongst some 3,000 dead birds collected for incineration following an outbreak this summer on the important nesting site of the Farne Islands. Also found in the cleanup was an Arctic tern which, according to The Guardian, had flown the return trip between the Farne Islands and Antarctica eight times during its lifetime, covering 144,000 miles.

A great skua, photographed at the Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst, Shetland. Great skua also have large populations in the UK, with 60% of the global population nesting in Scotland. These birds were found with H5N1 in late summer 2021 prior to their migration to Africa; with their return to Scotland, according to the RSPB scientists were 'not expecting to find great skuas again sick and dying' from H5N1 this year.

According to the RSPB, the UK hosts 56% of the world's Northern gannet population during breeding seasons – with 46% found in Scottish colonies. They take a long time to reach maturity, so population declines amongst chicks and breeding-age birds can have a catastrophic impact on populations.

Northern gannets gather on Bass Rock, in the Firth of Forth. Scotland's seabird colonies are of global importance to species populations; Unfortunately, the density of their colonies make the spread of any pathogen easier during nesting season.

Northern gannets fly off Bass Rock, in Scotland's Firth of Forth – an important breeding ground for the birds.

A dead gannet, believed to be a victim of avian flu, lies on a Scottish beach, June 2022. Scenes like this have been reported across the U.K. as wild and domestic bird populations reel from the country's worst ever outbreak of avian flu.