The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is one of those birds that are so well known to nearly everyone that we rarely stop to take the time to view them properly. Thankfully they are more common now in the east than they had been as the initial part of the 21st century saw significant losses to even this abundant species thanks to the West Nile Virus. Areas that were richer in species diversity saw fewer losses due to the virus, likely signaling the strength of a healthy ecosystem to battle a pathogen. Conservation needs to focus on certain species at times – as we at RTPI often do – but should also strive to maintain stability of the entire food web.
