[mou] WNV impacts on crows

[Jim Williams]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Cutright.Noel" <Noel.Cutright@we-energies.com>
Date: July 15, 2005 4:21:42 PM CDT
To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" <wisbirdn@lawrence.edu>
Subject: [wisb] WNV impacts on crows

During the past couple of years, there has been discussion on what=20
impacts West Nile Virus has had on American Crow populations.=A0 In a=20
recent paper in the Condor (Caffrey, et al. 2005: 128-132 - West Nile=20
Virus devastates an American Crow population), the authors estimate,=20
based upon a marked population of crows in the Stillwater, OK area,=20
that=A0 65% of their population died because of the pathogen in 2003.=A0=20=

The total loss was 72% of population members, including 82% of=20
juveniles.=A0 Of the approximately 56 dead crows, they discovered only 4=20=

carcasses.=A0 They believe that this suggests that the tens of thousands=20=

of carcasses found in NA in the last 5 years might under-represent the=20=

number that have died by an order of magnitude and that WNV is likely=20
to cause devastating disruptions to the social organization and=20
demographics of American Crows.

Noel Cutright, Ozaukee County.=A0