Corona Virus In Birds Now?
I talked with a State Police neighbor on Saturday. He said that back in late March, they found 143 dead crows on a remote stretch of state highway, all in a bunch. The CDC was called in to see if Corona Virus was the cause of the mass deaths.
Testing by a team of forensic veterinarian pathologists returned negative results for virus. The cause of death for all 143 birds was determined to be blunt-force trauma. There was an ancillary finding of vehicle paint on the beaks and under the claws of each bird. Oddly, further testing showed the paint to be from one or more trucks in every case.
An avian behavioral researcher was consulted. Her report noted that crows typically post a look-out to sound an alarm if there is eminent danger. Further field observations by the researcher's Graduate Assistant revealed that while crows typically phonate "Caw, Caw", they cannot call out "Truck"