W. Nile virus hit backyard birds hard

A study recently published in National Geographic News online found that that the West Nile Virus had serious impacts on species that associate with humans, Black-capped Chickadees and American Robins, very hard.

The article "West Nile Devastated U.S. Bird Species," states:
"Spikes in bird deaths among some species—including crows, house wrens, and eastern bluebirds—were linked with numbers of human cases, which peaked in 2002 and 2003, the study found.

That's because mosquitoes that carry West Nile fare best around people, where sources of stagnant water used for breeding—including sewers, old tires, and forgotten watering cans—abound, LaDeau said." So birds that live around humans like Robins are subjected to more infected mosquitos.

The article goes on to say, "Up to 45 percent of crows died after the virus arrived, with robins, chickadees, . . . not far behind."