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Date: June 11, 2003
Posted by: Kevin Hynes (kphynes@gw.dec.state.ny.us)

From:
Kevin Hynes
Biologist 1
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Wildlife Pathology Unit
108 Game Farm Road
Delmar, NY 12054
518-478-3034
518-478-3035 fax
kphynes@gw.dec.state.ny.us

With regards to rapid die-offs of cedar waxwings, don't dismiss the 
possibility of impact trauma.  In New York state it is not unusual to 
have groups of 3-15 cedar waxwings dead in a small geographic area 
(IE; a residential yard) as the result of trauma. The gross pathology 
indicating trauma can be subtle in some of these birds.  The crops 
often contain at least some fruit and the birds are in good flesh 
with good fat reserves.  Toxicological tests are generally negative 
as are WNV PCRs.

Some researchers speculate that waxwings and other fruit-eating birds 
may become intoxicated by eating fermented fruit thus making them 
more susceptible to impact trauma, but we have not been able to 
confirm this
as of yet.

Birds that have actually succumbed to WNV infection will probably not 
be in good flesh with abundant fat stores.

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