American Crow,
Blue Jay,
Black-Billed Magpie,
Unidentified Sparrow,

(e) = estimate

Arkansas Livestock and Poultry (AR), B.C. Ministry of Environment (BC), Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center (CCW), Center for Disease Control (CDC), Florida Game and Fish (FL), Minnesota Department of Natural resources (MNS), New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NY), North Carolina State Laboratory (NCA), Sea World of San Diego (SWD), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC), Various State lab sites (ST), Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TX), University of Florida (UFL), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WAS), USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NW), Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (WI), Wyoming State Laboratory (WY), No diagnostics pursued (NON), Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (WI).

Written and compiled by Kathryn Converse/Rex Sohn = Western US, Grace McLaughlin - Eastern US, NWHC. The Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report is available at http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov. To report mortality or receive information about this report, contact the above NWHC staff, or for Hawaiian Islands contact Thierry Work. Phone: (608) 270-2400, FAX:(608) 270-2415 or e-mail: kathy_converse@usgs.gov. USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711.

Quarterly Mortality Reports

Mass Mortality of Northern Fulmars along the Pacific Coast. In early November 2003 the NWHC was contacted by the USFWS in Oregon regarding reports of large numbers of dead Northern fulmars found along the Washington and Oregon coastlines. Several days later Sea World of San Diego reported morbidity and mortality of Northern fulmar along the southern California coast. Northern fulmars are the only seabird species reported to be suffering significantly increased mortality. Mortality began in mid-October and continued at some level through late December in California. Mortality continued to be reported in Oregon through late monitoring of beached pelagic bird carcasses began in1978. Examination of dead fulmars by pathologists and biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz, and Sea World of Sand Diego demonstrated that all birds were in poor to emaciated body condition, the majority were hatch year birds, and none of the bird's upper GI tracts contained fresh prey. Dead birds from Oregon examined by the NWHC where emaciated juveniles with moderate to heavy lice and gastrointestinal nematode infestations. One bird had large quantity of plastic foreign bodies in its proventriculus and gizzard, but there was no evidence of blockage of the GI tract.

Avian Cholera in Western and Central United States. Avian cholera die-offs have continued over the last five years with a significantly lower number of dead birds and reduced geographic extent when compared with epizootics of the late 1980's and mid 1990's. Waterfowl mortality began at National Wildlife Refuges in the Central Valley of California in early December 2003 and continued into early January, 2004. The mortality in the Central Valley of California in early December 2003 and continued into early January, 2004. The mortality in the Central Valley involved Aleutian Canada geese, snow geese, Ross' geese, and several species of dabbling ducks. Avian cholera was reported during December, for the first time in five years, in snow geese as they flew south along the Mississippi River migratory pathway in Iowa and Missouri. Snow geese also died in Arkansas and texas with the same time period but where was no confirmed cause of death. The diagnosis of avian cholera was confirmed in all cases by identification of gross and histologic lesions consistent with avian cholera and the isolation of Pasteurella multocida from tissues of birds

West Nile Virus Continued Spread across North American Continent in 2003. By the end of 2003, West Nile Virus (WNV) activity was detected in 45 continental states and the District of Columbia, 7 Canadian provinces, and in several Mexican states. Interestingly, although WMV was detected in the state of Washington in 2002, WNV activity was not detected there in 2003. As of January 2004, over 13,00 dead birds have tested positive for WNV. The list of species found positive for WNV continues to grow longer, currently with over 220 avian, human cases (including 231 deaths) in 2003 were reported by public health agencies in the United States and Canada. Although the number of reported human cases was significantly greater in 2003, the actually number of severe form of disease (Meningitis/encephalitis) is similar to that reported in 2002. At this time there is direct evidence for any significant change in the virulence of the WNV strain in North America. The Midwestern states were the primary foci of activity in 2002, while in 2003 the Rocky Mountain states of CO, WY, and MT were the major foci of activity in 2003. Based on observed trends of WNV activity in North America, public health and wildlife officials in the western United States are anticipating high WNV activity in their states in 2004. It remains unknown if and when WNV will arrive in Hawaii and Alaska, and the impact WNV will have on the avifauna of theses states.