Alexander L. Bond

This paper uses ancient DNA to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the extinct Spectacled Cormorant, finding it diverged from relatives around 6.98 Mya and may have been a kelp-forest predator.

The study surveils migratory shorebirds and seabirds in Australia in 2024, finding no HPAI H5N1 but detecting diverse LPAI viruses, including mosaic H3N7 and H4N7 from Red-necked Stints and a Eurasian H1N7.

The paper reports the continued absence of HPAI H5N1 lineage 2.3.4.4b and antibodies against it in migratory birds in Australia during October-December 2023.

The paper introduces a spatially-explicit method to estimate extinction dates and identify potential rediscovery zones using georeferenced sighting data.