Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

West Nile Virus: Impact On Crow Populations In The United States, Robert G. Mclean

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Since the introduction of the mosquito-borne West Nile Virus (WNV) into New York City (NYC) in 1999, it has expanded westward across the North American continent in an unprecedented fashion, taking in its wake hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of native and exotic birds. Corvid species, particularly the American crow, are particularly susceptible to this virulent strain of virus and have died dramatically during the summer virus transmission season. Experimental studies have shown that the fatality rate from WNV infection in American crows is nearly 100%. This mortality in crows and other corvids was used as a sensitive sentinel …