Avian influenza overview European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC),European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza(EURL),Cyril Barbezange,Hubert Buczkowski, Mariette Ducatez, Alice Fusaro, Jose L Abstract Between29 November 2025 and27 February 2026, 2514highly pathogenic avian influenza(HPAI) A(H5) virus detections were reported in domestic (406) and wild (2108) birds in32countries in Europe.Albeit still at high levels after the peak was reached at the beginning ofthe current reporting period,the weekly number of detections has since been declining.Waterfowl specieswere affected to a greater extent than in previous years, and more than90% of detections in poultry were due to primary introduction from wild birds.As in previousyears,a large number ofbackyard farmsand several zoos were affected.High viral circulationin wild birds resulted in a slight increase in detectionsin mammals in Europe, withthe first ©2026European Food Safety Authority, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control,European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza.EFSA Journalpublished by Wiley- Requestor:European Commission Question number:EFSA-Q-2026-00135andCommission request 280 to ECDC (SANTE.B.2/ Correspondence:Ask a QuestionandECDC.influenza@ecdc.europa.eu Acknowledgements:In addition to thelisted authors, EFSA, ECDC and the EURL wish to thanktheMember State representatives who provided epidemiological data on avian influenzaoutbreaks or shared sequence data:LikaAldin andErga Shkodra (Albania);Andrea Höflechner-Pöltl,Beate Liehl,Sandra Revilla-Fernándezand Irene Zimpernik (Austria);Mieke Steensels andStevenVan Borm(Belgium);Emiliya Ivanova(Bulgaria);Vladimir Savic(Croatia);VasilikiChristodoulou (Cyprus);Klára Jelínkováand Alexander Nagy(Czechia);Louise Kathrine DueFensholdt,Lone Thing Mortensen,Pernille Dahl Nielsen,Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager, YuanLiangandHeidi Huus Petersen(Denmark);KärtJaarma,Imbi Nurmoja (Estonia); Tuija Gadd,Ari Kauppinen and Niina Tammiranta (Finland); François-Xavier Briand, Béatrice Grasland, ÉricNiquex,Audrey Schmitzand Angela Srour(France); Timm Harder, Anne Pohlmannand ChristophStaubach(Germany);Georgina Helyes and Malik Peter(Hungary);Brigitte Brugger andVilhjálmurSvansson(Iceland);Laura Garza Cuartero,Audrey Jenkinson and Lucía Pérez(Ireland); Lara Cavicchio, Marta Dianati, Isabella Monne, Angela Salomoniand Bianca Zecchin(Italy); Juris Kibilds, Marta Lizuma and Žanete Šteingolde (Latvia);Paulius Bušauskas,VilijaGrigaliūnienė,Simona Pileviciene and Egidijus Pumputis(Lithuania); Guillaume Fournier andChantal Snoeck(Luxembourg); Oxana Groza, Oxana Popa(Moldova); Monika Ballmann, DennisBol and Marcel Spierenburg (Netherlands); Aleksandar Dodovski and Igor Dzadzovski (NorthMacedonia);Anne DøsenandBritt Gjerset(Norway);Katarzyna Domańska-Blicharz,Anna PikulaandMagdalena Roman(Poland);Renata Carvalho,Margarida Duarte,Teresa Fagulha and Influenza),Barbezange, C.,Buczkowski, H.,Ducatez, M., Fusaro, A., Gonzalez, J.L.,Kuiken, T.,Mirinavičiūtė, G.,Ståhl, K., Staubach,S., Svartström, O., Terregino, C.,Willgert, K., Alarcón,A.,&Kohnle,L. (2026). Avian influenza overviewDecember 2025–February2026.EFSA Journal, 24(3), e10015,https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10015 ISSN:1831-4732 ©2026European Food Safety Authority, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control,European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza.EFSA Journalpublished by Wiley-VCH Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. EFSA may include images or other content for which it does not hold copyright. In such cases,EFSA indicates the copyright holder and users should seek permission to reproduce the content Mapdisclaimer:The designations employed and the presentation of material on any mapsincluded in this scientific output do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the Table of contents Abstract...............................................................................................................1Table of contents...................................................................................................41Introduction................................................................................................52Assessment.................................................................................................52.1HPAI virus detections in birds........................................................................52.1.1HPAI virus detections in birds in Europe..........................................................52.1.2HPAI virus detections in birds outside Europe.................................................21 1Introduction This Scientific Report provides an overview of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virusdetections in poultry2and captive birds3(domestic birds), as well as in wild birds, that occurredin and outside Europe between29November 2025 and27 February 2026. In addi