What is the connection between the West Nile virus (WNV) and crows?
WNV can infect virtually any species of bird, including crows. When crows are infected, unlike with most birds, horses or people, they tend to die. Thus, crow deaths may be an indicator of WNV activity in an area. To take advantage of this observation, Connecticut and many other states have developed systems to collect selected dead crows for testing for WNV.
