Western scrub jay west nile virus

Mosquito vectors and temperatures Limited sampling trap nights over three occasions in the island's interior valley yielded mosquitoes comprising 11 species. Discussion WNV transmission has been detected repeatedly on mainland California since , with epidemics in the Los Angeles area during and Kwan et al.

Disclosure Statement No competing financial interests exist. References Beaty B. Calisher C. Shope R. Washington: American Public Health Association; Kreuder C.

Anderson R. Barker C. Potential impacts of West Nile virus on wildlife in California. Maurer EP. Dettinger MD. Tyree M. Hayhoe K. Climate change scenarios for the California region. Clim Change. Davis BS.

Stringfield C. Lutz C. Prospective immunization of the endangered California condors Gymnogyps californianus protects this species from lethal West Nile virus infection. Reisen WK. A new enzyme immunoassay to detect antibodies to arboviruses in the blood of wild birds. J Vector Ecol. Koenig WD. Kramer VL, et al. Design and use of a modified Reiter gravid mosquito trap for mosquito-borne encephalitis surveillance in Los Angeles County, California.

Delaney KS. The Birds of North America Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. Wayne RK. Adaptive units for conservation: population distinction and historic extinctions in the Island Scrub-Jay. Conserv Biol. DuPuis AP. Nicholas D. Young D, et al. Detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of antibodies to West Nile virus in birds. Emerg Infect Dis.

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J Med Entomol. Dupuis AP. Chang GJ. Kramer LD. Vector Borne Zoonot Dis. Langevin S. Hinten S. Nemeth N, et al. Kluh S. Madon M. Western scrub-jay pairs make basket-shaped nests of twigs lined with fibers and hair. Nests are built low and concealed behind foliage, generally in an oak or pinyon pine.

They have one brood of one to five eggs. The young remain with the parents for about five months. Pairs stay together through the year. They are very territorial during the breeding season.

Jays are relatively long-lived birds and can reach over 15 years of age in the wild. Western scrub-jays are common, and some populations may be increasing. However, one subspecies in southeastern California may be vulnerable to disturbance and is listed as a species of concern in the state. Some populations are being affected by West Nile virus. They will screech over the body, attracting other jays, for as long as 30 minutes and stay near the body for a day or two.

Baughman, M. National Geographic reference atlas to the birds of North America. Washington, D. Western scrub-jay funerals: cacophonous aggregations in response to dead conspecifics, Animal Behaviour. Feeding The large bill of the island scrub-jay is related to its diet, of thick-shelled acorns which they bury, or cache, in the fall and eat months later.

They also eat insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, and other birds' eggs and nestlings. Reproduction These birds are monogamous, often having the same mates all their lives. They are also territorial. Breeding habitat appears to be saturated on the island, causing young individuals to delay breeding for up to several years. Until breeding space becomes available, unmated individuals use marginal habitats not suitable for breeding.

Non-breeders do not defend territories, but rather forage and roost in loose groupings or on their own. Nesting peaks during the last two weeks in March when the chaparral plants are flowering and growing new leaves.

This period also coincides with an increase in arthropod abundance, indicating that this may be a strong influence on the timing of nesting in island scrub jays. Nests are located in dense bushes and trees and are often well-concealed. Nests are constructed of coarse sticks, lined with finer twigs and rootlets, and can be placed anywhere from ground level to 40 feet off the ground.

Females lay two to five eggs in a nest that they incubate for about twenty days. While the female sits on the eggs, the males spends time hunting and defending the nest from predation by gopher snakes, island spotted skunks, island foxes, common ravens, and other island scrub jays.

In fact, nest predation is the biggest limit onisland scrub-jay reproductive success, and the extent to which a nest isconcealed affects the likelihood of predation Caldwell et al. Vegetation recovery on Santa Cruz Island may eventually reduce the impact of predation. Once the chicks fledge, average life expectancy is 4.

Conservation Status Since the island scrub-jay occurs only on one island that makes it susceptible to any major disaster, a disease outbreak, or widespread land-use changes, any of which could potentially extirpate the species or cause a severe population decline. The island scrub-jay's mainland cousin,the western scrub-jay, is extremely susceptible to West Nile Virus, which is carried by certain species of mosquitoes. Ambient temperatures on Santa Cruz Island are currently to low to support those mosquito species, but would be high enough to support those species when global warming occurs.

The threat of this has prompted some conservation biologists to propose establishing a second, redundant population of island scrub-jays on Santa Rosa Island Morrison et al. Another possible mitigation for West Nile Virus is annual vaccination of a core group of island scrub-jays against the disease, though the expense and availability of an appropriate vaccine and the difficulty of recapturing jays for booster shots make this less attractive as a treatment Boyce et al.

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Wearing clothing that covers the length of the arms and legs provides additional protection. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Most people with this type of West Nile virus disease recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months.

About one in people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system such as encephalitis inflammation of the brain or meningitis inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. About 1 out of 10 people who develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system die. The West Nile virus was first detected in the United States in and has spread throughout the continental USA over the following years.

A separate CDC report shows that as of January 5, , 44 American states have reported cases of West Nile virus from people, birds like scrub jays, and mosquitoes.