Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) with Ticks

Observation by Naomi McMullen:

A few birds have been spotted in the community with what looks like ticks attached to their body.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Birds can pick up ticks in a variety of ways based on their behavior. We reached out to Travis Boom, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and he confirmed that the bird is a Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus). Northwestern crows have a diverse diet that includes marine invertebrates, small mammals, eggs, berries, and also carrion. In a previous LEO post, Dr. Micah Hahn, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), provided some information about ticks found on a Stellar's jay. She wrote back saying:

"We have six native ticks in Alaska, and two of them commonly feed on birds. It's possible that you're seeing either an Ixodes auritulus or Ixodes howelli on the jay...Jays are known to scavenge (for example, Canada jays scavenge the remains of moose/caribou kills). It's possible that if this individual were feeding on rodents or scavenging mammalian remains, it could have picked up a mammalian tick that way."

We reached out to Dr. Hahn again to see if crows may also pick up ticks as they scavenge. She wrote:

I can only find a few specific references of ticks found feeding on crows, but I don't think it's too surprising. Northwestern crows are omnivores that forage mostly on the ground, which is probably when they're picking up ticks. I'm impressed that she was quick enough to snap this pic!

Dr. Hahn reached out to Claire Stuyck from the Alaska Songbird Institute, who wrote:

Given the geography, I would agree that this is a Northwestern Crow. Similar to the jay, they are also omnivorous, will scavenge and do frequently spend time on the ground foraging. I could see transmission happening from a scavenged carcass or even predating ground dwelling young mammals (or even other birds - usually eggs or chicks). Crows are also very social, so it'd be interesting to know if this was a singular report. Similarly, knowing the age of this bird could provide some transmission insight as well -- crows will often bring meals back to the nest and cache meals for later. If it were a young bird, I'd wonder if it's nestmates were similarly afflicted. Though I suppose you could also suggest that a younger bird might be less adept at finding food and more apt to scavenge or perhaps spend more time on the ground looking.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has partnered with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and UAA in a new effort to test ticks that residents find. If you are able to capture a tick, you can send it in for species identification and pathogen testing. This helps tick experts track new tick species and monitor for disease. For more information, see the Submit-A-Tick webpage and outreach materials.

If you are interested in submitting a tick that you have found, follow the steps below:

1. Carefully remove the tick if it is attached and feeding.

2. Put the tick into a clean, small plastic or metal container (e.g. vial or small pill bottle). Multiple ticks from the same person or animal may be placed into one container. If ticks are collected from more than one person or animal, please use separate containers.

3. Place the container into a Ziploc bag.

4. Print and complete an Alaska "Submit-A-Tick" form (see attached documents). If ticks are collected from more than one person or animal, a >separate submission form should be completed for each person or animal and placed in a separate Ziploc bag with the >appropriate container of ticks.

5. Place the sealed Ziploc bag(s) with ticks and submission form(s) in an envelope or small box and ship to: 

Office of the State Veterinarian

5251 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99507

You can also submit ticks by taking them to your local Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) office.

 See also: article by Riley Woodford: Submit a Tick

Erica Lujan