Bird die-off in Argentina, due to Pesticides? West Nile Virus? Other?

<x-flowed>This posting is forwarded from ProMED mail (id: 20030110.0086). Both
listservs are eager to hear from ornithologists, with insights and
additional information. Send to <promed@promedmail.org> and
<WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu>:

BIRD DIE-OFF - ARGENTINA (BUENOS AIRES)

Date:10 Jan 2003
From: Pablo Nart <p.nart@virgin.net>
Source: Telam 9 Jan 2003 [in Spanish, translated & edited by Mod.JW]
<http://www.telam.com.ar/central_sin13720030109.htm>

Approximately 100 birds have died [suddenly] in the last few days in
the streets of Bartolome Bavio, part of Magdalena, Buenos Aires
[Province], including pigeons, thrushes, cardinals,and fieldfares.
It is suspected that they died from eating pesticide-contaminated
food.

[ProMED-mail moderator's comments: Rodenticide is often spread on
corn, and pigeons will eat the bait,while
insectivorous birds may eat insects dying from insecticide poisoning.
But in these days when we are on the lookout for the arrival of West
Nile virus in South America, it would be important to exclude that
diagnosis. Perhaps an ornithologist reader can tell us whether any
of the species mentioned are likely to be recently arrived migrants
from North America. We would like to receive more details of this
outbreak. - Mod.JW]

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WESTNILEVIRUS-L is an email discussion group for communication and discussion
about West Nile Virus, particularly regarding policy, risk reduction and public
education issues. It is moderated by Dr. Lois Levitan at Cornell
University's Center
for the Environment.  Subscribers are encouraged to post to the group
by sending
an email to: <WESTNILEVIRUS-L@cornell.edu>.  Please send only unformatted text,
without attachments.  Archives are posted at:
http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/erap/WNV/WNV-L_ArchiveIndex.html.
To subscribe (or unsubscribe), send an email request to <envrisk@cornell.edu>.
To receive messages once a day in digest format, send an email to
<listproc@cornell.edu> with message: "set WESTNILEVIRUS-L mail digest-nomime".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</x-flowed>