期刊论文详细信息
The Auk
Beak Deformities in Northwestern Crows: Evidence of a Multispecies Epizootic
Caroline Van Hemert1  Colleen M. Handel1 
关键词: abnormality;    Alaska;    American Crow;    avian keratin disorder;    beak;    British Columbia;    Corvus brachyrhynchos;    C. caurinus;    deformity;    emerging disease;    keratin;    Northwestern Crow;    Pacific coast;    Washington;   
DOI  :  10.1525/auk.2010.10132
学科分类:动物科学
来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office
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【 摘 要 】

Beak abnormalities are rare among adult birds and, typically, are not widespread in a given population, within a region, or across multiple species. A high concentration of beak deformities was recently documented in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and other resident avian species in Alaska. We describe a parallel condition in Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) that signals the emergence of a multispecies epizootic. On the basis of 186 Northwestern Crows captured at six sites in Alaska during 2007 and 2008, we estimated the prevalence of beak deformities in adults to be 16.9 ± 5.3%, the highest rate of gross deformities ever recorded in a wild bird population. Prevalence varied among sites and was as high as 36% on the Kenai Peninsula, which suggests possible epizootic clusters. We also documented beak abnormalities in an additional 148 Northwestern Crows in south-central and southeastern Alaska and in 64 crows near Vancouver, British Columbia, and Puget Sound, Washington, a region where both Northwestern Crows and American Crows (C. brachyrhynchos) occur. The increase in frequency and distribution of crows observed with abnormal beaks throughout the Pacific Northwest since the late 1990s indicates a geographic expansion of this problem. Affected crows exhibited elongated and often crossed beaks that were morphologically similar to deformities documented in Black-capped Chickadees and other species in Alaska over approximately the same period. Additional research is needed to determine the etiology and potential adverse effects on bird populations affected by this disorder.

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