Wildlife

Crow Disease Carriers

Large gatherings of crows, which can congregate in flocks of tens of thousands, may be spreading disease to other species, including humans.

University of California, Davis, researchers found that approximately half of the 6,000 American crows that winter around the campus carry Campylobacter jejuni, which is the leading cause of human gastroenteritis in industrialized countries.

GPS tracking found the birds like to gather around areas with easy access to food, such as dairy barns.

The researchers say this could potentially play a role in spreading the disease to domestic animals, and through them, to humans.