Birds and other Wildlife

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Birds & Other Wildlife

West Nile virus (WNV) is maintained in the environment in a bird-mosquito life cycle. For reasons still unknown, American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and other corvids (e.g., blue jays) seem more susceptible to fatal infection. This has allowed many local health departments to utilize dead birds as an indicator of the virus’ emergence (or re-emergence) in their jurisdictions.

As illustrated by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) document, Species Found Postive for WNV in Surveillance Efforts, the list of birds found positive has rapidly grown with each WNV season.

For more information on the wildlife health issues associated with WNV, visit the NWHC West Nile Virus web page. This comprehensive site provides many information resources including a list of FAQ about WNV and wildlife, guidelines for handling suspect birds, a list of affected wildlife species (pdf) and an interactive map that provides local WNV information at the state level.

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