Researchers stunned to find puffins 'self-isolating' to survive mysterious threat: 'We feared the worst'

It's been five years since rangers on England's Farne Islands could conduct a survey of puffins living there — and they were delighted to find good news in the 2024 results.

The population, which had been threatened by several factors including avian influenza (bird flu), has now been declared stable after a 15% increase in numbers, the Conservative Post reported.

The bird flu has been deadly for several seabird species on the protected Farne Islands in recent years, with rangers collecting thousands of dead birds each year and estimating that many more died at sea.

However, the puffins exhibited a remarkable behavior that may have saved them.

Ranger Sophia Jackson told the Post, "We feared the worst after we sadly collected 938 dead puffins in 2022 and 2023 which had died due to bird flu — but it's been amazing to get this positive news; and it seems due to the species' own 'self-isolating' behaviours that they have weathered this particular storm."

By isolating from the other seabird species, many of whom dwell in close corners on the islands' cliffs, the puffins may have built a natural immunity to the disease, she explained. They were likely also assisted by their natural instincts to clean their nests regularly during breeding season.

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Other threats to puffins include overfishing of their food supply, as well as severe weather impacting their ability to hunt and threatening to damage their ground burrows. These factors have been exacerbated by a changing climate, as warmer waters diminish fish populations and contribute to more intense storms.

But fortunately, this year's breeding season was relatively free of severe storms in the region, and fish and eel populations remained stable and accessible.

And for species like puffins, having experts like the park rangers carefully monitoring their populations and protecting their habitats will be key to ensuring their future remains bright.

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"We are keen to do all we can to ensure the islands have the optimum conditions to ensure these birds keep returning year-on-year and feel safe and protected during a critical time for them," Jackson said.