National Wildlife Health Center

Case History: An adult male Northern Pintail Duck (Anas acuta) was found dead on a refuge in Arizona, US. Collectively at this location, 29 birds including Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens), Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), and Northern Pintail Ducks (Anas acuta) were found dead with no reported...

Case History: In June 2020, one adult female, 950-g, mountain cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus nuttallii) with bloody nasal discharge was found dead by a private landowner in Montana, U.S.A. and submitted frozen for cause of death determination. Two juvenile rabbits were found dead in proximity.

Case History: An adult male desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) was found dead on a ranch in west Texas, U.S.A. Other rabbits had been reported sick in the area; clinical signs included lethargy, uncoordinated movements, and blood around the nose and mouth.

Case History: In late December 2019, 25 dead mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were observed in a retention pond belonging to an adjacent factory in Minnesota.

Case History: An aged adult male 36 kg Timber Wolf was found dead in the winter of 2003 in northern Wisconsin, USA. The weather was clear and cold, with low temperatures in the negative single digits. Wolf and coyote tracks were present in the area.

In this edition of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) newsletter, we are focusing on current and collaborative work on chronic wasting disease (CWD).

View and download the newsletter (PDF).

Case: A juvenile male 1.46-kg Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) was found dead on a beach in Massachusetts, USA.

May's Pathology Case of the Month details the cases of a Canada Goose and two Bald Eagles.

Case History: An adult female 9.95-g Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) from a California aviary was found dead.  It was noted to be thin several days prior to its death. 

Case History: In October 2019, a mortality event of foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) in a small creek in Santa Clara, California, USA was reported. Mortality peaked in autumn, when nighttime temperatures approached freezing. At the time of submission, the estimated number of dead was 35.