A taxonomically harmonized global dataset of wild bird hosts for avian influenza virus surveillance

Wild birds are key natural reservoirs and play a central role in the global dissemination of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). However, the absence of a standardized, taxonomically resolved global list of wild bird hosts has limited the comprehensive AIV risk monitoring and assessment under a One Health framework. Here, we generate a taxonomically harmonized dataset of wild bird hosts for AIV, derived from 23,358 viral isolates of wild bird origin reported in the GISAID EpiFluTM database from 1973 to 2023. Host names were systematically extracted, validated, and harmonized to resolve reporting ambiguities and unify host taxonomy across records. The resulting dataset includes 394 wild bird species spanning 26 orders, especially species within the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes. contributing a substantial proportion of host diversity. The resulting dataset provides a clarified global wild bird host spectrum for AIVs, offering a foundational resource for host identification, phylogenetic annotation, and ecological trait-based analysis. This dataset is structured in machine-readable formats, supporting reproducible and large-scale, species-level analyses across virology, epidemiology, and biodiversity.