Bird flu used to sound like a “poultry industry problem.” Now it’s showing up everywhere and rewriting the rules for wild birds, ecosystems, and what “outbreak” even means. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Nichola Hill, disease ecologist and Assistant Professor at UMass Boston, to unpack what’s different about the current H5N1 wave.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

1. How today’s H5N1 differs from past avian flu strains and why this version has scientists so alarmed
2. What changed in the virus (and the world) to make outbreaks more frequent, widespread, and severe
3. Why we’re seeing such intense impacts in wild bird populations right now, not just on farms
4. The cautious good news: what vaccines, immunity, resistance, and adaptation might look like and what’s still unknown

If you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who thinks bird flu is only a chicken story.