Increasing reports of zoonotic avian influenza virus (AIV) spillovers to mammals signal critical shift in their ecology and raise substantial public health concerns. The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has driven this expansion, with genetic adaptations enhancing replication in mammalian hosts. Adaptations have been identified in diverse carnivore species, including American mink ( Neogale vison ), red fo...