Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
and in some rare cases, the illness may even spread to humans, so interfering could cause
worse problems.
If you can't bear to leave a bird, or if it's injured with little likelihood of making you
sick (broken wings and cat bites are not contagious), you can help by transporting it to a
wildlife rehabilitator. First put it in a cardboard box or a paper bag. Wear gloves if at all
possible — strong leather gloves if the bird has talons (any hawk or owl) or has a sharp,
potentially dangerous beak.
I keep a cardboard box lined with Astroturf on the bottom to provide footing (a few
layers of soft paper towels can serve) in my car for this kind of emergency. I have a few
numbers of local rehab centers written on the outside of the box so I can call the nearest
one if I do find an injured bird.
The American Crow appears to be the biggest victim of West Nile virus, a disease intro-
duced to North America in the 1990s. Virtually every crow who is infected dies within
one week. No other North American bird is dying at the same rate from the disease, and
the loss of crows in some areas has been severe. After the disease dies out in an area,
crow numbers do seem to slowly recover.
DISPOSING OF DEAD BIRDS
Diseases that have been in the news
inthepastdecadeincludeafewthataffectedbirds,
too. West Nile virus, avian flu, and some salmonella outbreaks have raised everyone's
awareness and concern when they see a dead bird. Dead birds are sometimes of interest
to health officials and scientists.
If you're aware of a disease outbreak or are concerned about health issues, contact
yourlocalorcountyhealthdepartmentortheU.S.GeologicalSurvey'sNationalWildlife
Health Center
(
www.nwhc.usgs.gov
)
.
Collect or dispose of the dead bird as they direct
you. In many cases health departments will not be able to analyze a bird that has already
started to decay, so you may be asked to double-bag it and put it in your freezer, or to
take it to them immediately.
If you do pick up the bird be sure to wear disposable gloves or insert your hand into
a plastic bag, pick up the bird with that hand, and then turn the bag inside out to contain
thebird.Evenifyou'reprettysureyourskindidn'ttouchthebird,washyourhandsthor-
oughly afterward.
