Category: HawkTalk

The North American Flyway 

An adult yellow-billed cuckoo on a tree branch

Every fall and spring, just like how thousands of students use the American highway system to return to home or school, hundreds of species of birds use a system of “flyways” to migrate according to the seasons. A flyway is an intricate pathway connecting all the regions birds use, including breeding, non-breeding, and staging areas. The American flyways can be roughly broken up into four distinct regions: the Atlantic Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway, the Central Flyway, and the Pacific Flyway. Flyways are complex and their borders are often hard to outline (parts of all the American flyways converge in Panama), but the birds that use them travel astonishing distances each year as part of their fascinating life cycles. Explore the flyways below and meet some of the charismatic species that use them! 

The Atlantic Flyway 

The Atlantic Flyway extends across the Eastern seaboard and contains iconic locations such as Chesapeake Bay, the Florida Everglades, and the Caribbean islands. The ecosystems in this flyway are incredibly diverse. From broadleaf forests and shrublands to coastal salt marshes, birds of all kinds depend on the natural resources across the region. 

An adult piping plover
Adult piping plover, Image Retrieved via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons with Attribution 

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are regionally threatened or endangered and live on beaches, flats, and sandbars in coastal, Great Lakes, and Mississippi river waters. They are exclusively found in North America and are subject to the pressures of habitat loss and human disturbance. The birds are shy, preferring natural beaches without humans nearby. Conservation efforts have focused on protecting existing habitat and creating new habitat by dividing beaches to foster quieter, undisturbed habitat while still preserving recreational opportunities for people. As of 2020, their population numbers have been increasing. A pair actually nested on Montrose Beach in Chicago in 2019, the first time a nesting pair was seen in the area in half a century, and three birds were recently released by the Fish and Wildlife Service on that same beach this past July 2023.  

The Mississippi Flyway 

The Mississippi flyway follows the Mississippi river from its headwaters in Minnesota to its outlet into the Gulf of Mexico and across the gulf into South America. The migrating birds depend on the many prairies, wetlands, and forests found in the Mississippi river basin. The topography of this region is so flat that migrating birds do not need to adjust their height or direction to avoid geographical features like they do in the other flyways.  

An adult whooping crane
Adult whooping crane, Image Retrieved via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons with Attribution 

The endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) utilizes the Mississippi flyway to travel from nesting grounds in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and other Midwest states south to wintering grounds in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The population reached a low of 15 individuals in 1942 and was estimated to be between 50 and 249 mature individuals in 2020. Migration patterns are a learned behavior in this species, posing unique challenges when trying to create new populations. To counteract this, researchers trained young cranes to follow an ultralight aircraft which was then flown across the United States from Ontario and Wisconsin down to wintering sites in Florida. 

The Central Flyway 

This flyway stretches from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and connects the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest deserts, the great plains, and countless wetlands, grasslands, highlands, and desert ecosystems. The topography and varying climate causes migratory birds to take less direct routes to avoid the more inhospitable areas.  

An adult yellow-billed cuckoo on a tree branch
Adult yellow-billed cuckoo, Image Retrieved via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons with Attribution 

When they hear the word “cuckoo” most people think of the European cuckoo, which is famously featured in cuckoo clocks made in the Black Forest region of Germany, but the cuckoo family of birds has members residing across the world, including North America. The yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) can be found across much of the central and eastern parts of the United States, preferring riparian habitats (the edges of rivers, lakes, streams, and other bodies of water). Cuckoos are known for their strange and diverse calls, and the yellow-billed is no exception with at least six defined vocalizations including coos, knocks, kawlps, and croaks. Yellow-billed cuckoos are currently listed as a species of least concern but have been experiencing decline over the past few decades and are considered endangered in certain states. They have mostly disappeared from the westernmost states of the central flyway, as droughts and the building and use of dams have greatly degraded the available riparian habitat.  

The Pacific Flyway 

The Pacific Flyway includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii and supports the migration of more than a billion birds across rainforests, coastal marshes, scrublands, deserts, mountains, and more. A larger network of state and federally protected lands in this region also provides more habitat for these species, lending to the abundance of wildlife seen throughout. 

A yellow billed loon swimming in water
Juvenile yellow-billed loon – Image Retrieved via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons with Attribution 

The yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii) is the largest member of the loon family which also includes the common loon, a rare but exciting visitor to the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Yellow-billed loons spend their summers in the high arctic tundra, fishing and breeding on the pristine lakes and rivers found throughout. They winter along the southern coast of Alaska and, rarely, along Washington, Oregon, and California. This species is extremely susceptible to pollution from oil and gas drilling and transport, as they depend on clean water and abundant sources of fish. 

Loons have solid bones just like penguins and ostriches, but, unlike penguins and ostriches, loons are still capable of flight. The solid bones greatly decrease their buoyancy and aid in swimming, making them some of the best diving birds on the planet. These solid bones also mean that loons are heavy and awkward out of the water. Unlike other waterfowl such as ducks, loons are only capable of taking off from and landing in water, as they need a long wind-up directly into the wind to gain the lift they need. The increase in paved surfaces and the heat mirages they generate means that loons often mistake roadways as waterways and land on them. Without any water, they are then unable to take off again. 

Just like all life on Earth, the flyways that migratory birds use are complex, beautiful, and not-entirely understood. In time we will unlock the secrets of the flyways, but it is important that we also protect the birds who depend on them. If you are still curious or would like to learn more about the flyways, you can find more information on them at www.Audubon.org/birds/flyways.  

Written by Tyson, Class of 2026

References: 

BirdLife International. 2020. Charadrius melodus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22693811A182083944. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020- 3.RLTS.T22693811A182083944.en 

BirdLife International. 2020. Grus americana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T22692156A181242855. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22692156A181242855.en. 

Captive-reared Great Lakes piping plovers released at Montrose Beach | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2023, July 13). FWS.Gov. https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-07/captive-reared-great-lakes-piping-plovers-released-montrose-beach-help 

Elliott-Smith, E., & Haig, S. M. (2020). Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pipplo.01 

Hughes, J. M. (2020). Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.yebcuc.01 

Life Adaptations—Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved August 12, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/gaar/learn/nature/common-loon-3.htm 

Piping Plover | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/piping-plover 

Piping Plovers Nest in Chicago for the First Time in Over Half a Century | Audubon. (2019, June 28). https://www.audubon.org/news/piping-plovers-nest-chicago-first-time-over-half-century 

The Flyways | Audubon. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/birds/flyways 

Urbanek, R. P., & Lewis, J. C. (2020). Whooping Crane (Grus americana), version 1.0. Birds of the World. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whocra.01 

Whooping Crane | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/whooping-crane 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Audubon Field Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2023, from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-billed-cuckoo 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2023, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Cuckoo/overview 

Preparation for a New School Year at the Wildlife Medical Clinic is Underway

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Summer is drawing to a close which means the Wildlife Medical Clinic is preparing for the return of our student volunteers! During the summer, the clinic is staffed by a team of 4 clinic interns, 2 student managers, undergraduate volunteers, and fourth year veterinary students. As classes begin in the fall, the clinic will welcome 115-140 student volunteers divided into 6 teams. Every student will be trained to provide care to the many species the clinic services.

Emerging Turtle Disease, Emydomyces Testavorans 

A turtle sitting on a surface in water

Emydomyces testavorans is a recently discovered fungus associated with freshwater habitats that causes shell disease in a wide variety of turtles and terrapins (Woodburn et al 2019; Woodburn et al 2021). The fungus has been found in both wild and human cared for turtles and has been identified in individuals with active lesions and those with no evidence of disease.

E. testavorans was originally discovered in animals housed in captive care but recent studies found that it has the ability to infect and cause disease in wild populations as well (Lambert, MR, 2021).

Once established, lesions gradually eat away at the shell, progressing through the bone which also exposes turtles to infections. These lesions can have a wide variety of presentations from ulcerations of the shell, pitted depressions, discoloration and flaking of the shell, increased pliability of the shell, nodular masses within the shell or abdominal cavity, and cystic nodules. 

A turtle laying in water

The presence or absence of E. testavorans can be detected within shell tissues through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) run from swabs or scrapes of shell lesions and/or fresh or frozen tissue.  Histopathology and necropsy can also be helpful in identifying whether an infection is present through stained shell tissues in the lab. 

The recommended treatment for shell disease secondary to E. testavorans is still being investigated but nebulization of the anti-fungal terbinafine once daily for 28 days has been shown to be helpful, especially in addition to antifungal medication given over a set period of time and repeated in set intervals to help prevent reoccurrence. This is also known as pulse antifungal therapy. Other forms of treatment have included debridement of necrotic shell, packing lesions with terbinafine powder, and covering them with bone wax or cement. 

A turtle wrapped in a blanket

Unfortunately, shell disease is a common cause of illness and death in turtles and the underlying cause for why some turtles will develop more severe disease remains unknown. Turtles can either be asymptomatic carriers or show active evidence of infection; however, those that show evidence of infection are more likely to succumb to severe, chronic disease of the shell and a large number of those severely infected turtles will die. 

Identifying the fungus is an important first step which allows us to better understand how the fungus spreads which can help us to develop health management strategies for impacted turtles, and ways to combat potential emerging disease. Having this knowledge provides us with not only the means to quickly diagnose patients and implement possible treatment options, but is also essential in assisting to develop proper handling and biosecurity measures as well. 

*Turtle images featured in this article are for visual design. They do not have the disease mentioned.

Written by Tori McCarthy, Affiliate Clinical Year DVM Student   

2022 Wildlife Medical Clinic Annual Report

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The Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine embraces a threefold mission: to provide veterinary care to sick or injured wild animals; to educate veterinary students and wildlife professionals about wildlife medicine; to promote conservation initiatives and ecosystem health through collaborative research, dissemination of scientific information, and public education programs.

Read our annual report to learn more about how we have carried out our mission throughout the year!

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Patty Tribute

Patty on a walk in grass on a leash

Several weeks ago, we made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize our resident opossum, Patty. This decision came about due to her increasing age and declining health. Patty was a huge part of our ambassador program at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, and she will be missed greatly. She was loved by many and will continue to make an impact through education even though her life has come to an end. She had many personal fans, from students and faculty to members of the public and even social media followers!  

Patty in fall leaves

Patty’s story began as a joey when she was discovered by a concerned community member. They took her in and raised her as a pet, unaware of the legal requirements surrounding ownership of wildlife.  In 2021, they responsibly handed her over to the wildlife clinic when she needed veterinary attention after realizing their mistake. Upon her arrival, it was discovered that she had a life-threatening reproductive tract infection. Our team was able to perform a complex and dangerous, but life-saving surgery. She was then placed on an intense treatment plan and her recovery was rough, but she was a fighter!  

After her successful surgery and recovery, Patty’s next goal was to lose some serious weight since she came in at about double her ideal body weight. She did not enjoy transitioning to a “healthy” diet, but she once again proved that she was a fighter! After months of work, Patty lost an appropriate amount of weight and was much healthier overall. Patty is a great reminder as to why wild animals should be left in the wild! Wild animals require very specialized care, housing, and diets that are challenging to replicate in human care. Despite the well-meaning intentions of the community member, Patty’s needs were not fully met and because of this she had many health issues that she had to overcome. Patty also showed no fear of humans and due to her life saving surgery, was not able to reproduce, which made her ineligible for release back into the wild.  

Patty standing to eat pieces of lettuce

Patty’s health and well-being were continually assessed during her time at the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Patty lived to be over 3 years old which is far more than what her life expectancy would have been in the wild. During Patty’s time in our care, she had numerous visits to our rehabilitation service for weight loss and strength training. She was evaluated by our neurology service when she was losing mobility in her hind limbs and appropriate adjustments were made to her care. She had an individualized diet, enrichment, and wellness plan created specifically for her. She had an entire team caring for her each day and monitoring her health. Over the last month, Patty’s mobility in her back legs declined drastically and she was unable to move around comfortably. It was also determined that Patty had lost a significant amount of her vision. These declines in her health are what led us to the decision of humane euthanasia.  

A girl posing with Patty on a leash

During her time with us, Patty made quite an impact on the students and faculty of the WMC and many other members of our community. Patty attended many community events and presentations as an ambassador of her species. She educated both children and adults on the importance of Virginia opossums in our ecosystem. Patty surprised many with her fearless yet very stubborn personality. She was happy to show off her intense love of kale and could be found munching away during most presentations. She walked nicely on her harness for her daily exercises but made it very clear when she thought it was time to return indoors for her snacks. Patty showed the public how opossums are vitally important to our wildlife ecosystem and are not the aggressive and disease-ridden animals they are often portrayed to be.  

Each member of her care team has gained invaluable knowledge from her life with us, which we will forever be grateful for. She connected with so many people and showed us that opossums can be sweet, playful, and stubborn.  Patty always reminded her caretakers to laugh with her funny and unique personality! She tested the limits with her persistence for treats and was always there to brighten the students’ day. Our sweet Patty, we hope you are resting easy now, you will be missed tremendously.

Patty eating

Goodbye, House Officers

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Dr. Aubrey Engel

Dr. Engel has been our Zoological Medicine Specialty Intern since August of 2022, and she will be moving on to our anesthesia service at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital to complete a one-year specialty internship. When she talked about her favorite memories of the Wildlife Medical Clinic (WMC), she said, “Working in the WMC for the last six years as an undergraduate, then vet student and team leader, and now a house officer, I have made SO many favorite memories! I love teaching, so many of those memories are associated with teaching students new skills or about new species. I have really enjoyed surgeries like wing fracture repair and turtle shell repair procedures!!”

She is also deeply passionate about zoo and conservation medicine, as well as anesthesia and pain management. She shared with us her passion and plan, “My overarching career goal is to make an impact in the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species. I look forward to finding ways to do this by combining those passions in clinical practice.” Dr. Engel also emphasized that she believes “anesthesia plays a vital role in our ability to care for zoo and exotic patients, and I am eager to become more proficient in this area of specialty.”

Dr. Danielle Lang

Dr. Lang is our first-year Zoo and Aquatic Animal Resident since August 2022, who will be moving on to Shed Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo to continue her next two years of residency. When asked about her favorite memories at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, she shared some of her favorite surgical cases: removing a lead BB in a goose and suturing lacerated arteries on a goose. She said, “I enjoy working with and teaching students the skills. It is very rewarding to see them grow.” And when asked about her favorite species, she said, “I love working with raptors, especially on the fracture repair on birds.”

Dr. Lang’s love for wildlife started at a young age. “… I was inspired going to the zoo as a kid and learning about their importance in the world. I wanted to contribute to public education and inspire them to care more about the wilderness and the planet,” said Dr. Lang. She hopes to positively impact the conservation and preservation of the planet while sharpening her problem-solving skills through creativity and collaboration.

To our WMC volunteers (past, current, and prospective), she would like to say, “Thank you for making this an incredible year; not only do I get to teach, you all teach me a lot. And if you ever have questions about the career, feel free to reach out.”

And to all our wildlife lovers interested in the field, “Know what you love and make a difference, have great passion and perseverance. It can be a long and challenging journey; finding those who will support you makes a huge difference. Support you and your classmates; collaboration is the key. Because one person can’t anesthetize the elephant alone, it takes the whole village.”

Dr. Lang and Dr. Engel have played an integral part in the operation of the Wildlife Medical Clinic in the last year. Their passion, knowledge, and great patience positively impacted every student they worked with. As they move on to the next step of their journey, we wish them the best and a flourishing career ahead!

This article was interviewed and summarized by second year student YiYing

River, Bald Eagle

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Happy Independence Day! Our favorite American symbol at the Wildlife Medical Clinic is our bald eagle ambassador, River. Today’s Hawk Talk is all about bald eagles as a species and a little bit about River and her story. 

Bald eagles are mostly brown with bright yellow feet, beak, and irises. As young birds, their heads are covered in brown feathers; the white feathers do not come in until the eagle is about 4-5 years old. These birds can live more than 30-35 years in the wild and often return to the  same nesting ground every year with their lifelong mate. Females are typically larger than  males, with respective average weights around 5.6 kg (12 lb.) and 4.1 kg (9 lb.). 

The bald eagle was selected as a national symbol in 1782, but did you know that the Founding Fathers argued for six years over what bird to pick? They ultimately chose the bald eagle because bald eagles are only found in North America and were seen to represent strength and freedom. However, Benjamin Franklin thought they should have selected the wild turkey instead, thinking turkeys to be a more “respectable” bird than the bald eagle.

Bald eagles were struggling in the wild in the mid-1900s. Humans were using a chemical called DDT to kill insects around their homes which, while super effective against pests, had severe, unforeseen impacts on bald eagles and many other bird species. DDT did not directly kill the eagles, but instead caused weak eggshells during nesting season. These eggs were not strong enough for the chicks to make it to hatching, and so the population of bald eagles (and many other birds of prey) plummeted. Bald eagles also suffered from hunting and habitat loss, and were put on the Endangered Species List in 1987. 

With the U.S. and Canada banning the use of DDT and focusing efforts on conservation, Bald Eagle populations began to grow. As of 2007 Bald Eagles are no longer listed as an endangered species. However, they are still a protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. It is illegal to take any part of an eagle, its eggs, or nesting material without a permit.

Our ambassador bald eagle was found in the Illinois River near Peoria in March of 2015 with a severely injured wing. Her right ulna and radius bones were both broken beyond what we were able to repair. With a partial wing amputation, we were able to remove the dying and damaged tissues which allowed her to survive this traumatic injury. However, bald eagles need to be able to fly to be successful in the wild, so she was considered non-releasable and needed a forever home such as a zoo or other similar institution. 

We searched for a home for her but were unable to find the right fit. This led us to apply for a permit to keep her at the WMC and once it was official, we held a fundraiser to select her name. River was chosen as her name due to where she was found. We know based on her head feathers that she was about 4 years old when she came to the WMC, so she is currently about 12 years old.  We recently had new flight cages and enclosures constructed for all our ambassador animals.

We made sure to include a permanent pool in River’s enclosure since bald eagles are typically found near rivers and large bodies of water as they like to hunt for fish and cool off in the shallows. While River is comfortable around our animal care staff, she is still not completely comfortable around new people, so she doesn’t travel off-site. However, you may see her in her outdoor enclosure and can learn more about her in our educational programs if you visit our facility. 

Written by Sarah, Class of 2026

Buckets of Babies!

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Here at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, it’s that time of year when we are inundated with baby wildlife. From American Robins to White-tailed Deer, we see a variety of babies throughout the breeding seasons and our volunteers are trained to care for them all! 

Not only do many young animals look different from their adult counterparts, but they also have different requirements that we must meet to care for them. Young animals have much higher metabolisms than they do as adults, so they must eat more frequently. Newly hatched American Crows must be fed every 30 minutes by both parents to nourish their ever-growing bodies. Some animals however, like the Eastern Cottontail, have a different strategy where they feed their babies two big meals at dawn and dusk so that mom can go out and graze on grass and other plants during the day. 

Young mammals start out life only able to digest the milk that their moms feed them. In the clinic, we have specialized formulas to closely match those milks so that the orphans in our care receive the proper nutrition. Considering how much liquid they consume, it is no wonder that baby animals are roughly 80% water, compared to 60% in adults. This means that baby mammals are at greater risk of dehydration when they go for long periods without being fed by their mom, especially if they are out in the summer sun. Our volunteers have specific treatments they can give to orphaned wildlife that allows them to safely rehydrate them. 

As the weeks pass, the baby animals get older and start wandering out on their own, under the supervision of their parents of course. Many young birds start to grow their flight feathers and look all disheveled as they are readying to fledge or leave the nest. These fledglings will explore the ground, start eating insects and other food on their own, attempt some flying, but will still get regular check ins from their parents, who provide them with additional food and support. Once these young birds grow in all their flight feathers and can reliably hunt on their own, their parents will leave them to spread their wings. 

While many birds wait for their young to be able to fly before leaving them to their own devices, some mammals like the Common Raccoon may watch after their babies for over 6 months before they let them go off on their own. In that timeframe, the mother raccoon will teach her babies all things raccoon, such as how to hunt, how to interact with other raccoons, how to avoid predators, and much more.  

Here at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, we care for sick and injured wildlife across all life stages, from babies to adults. However, with over half of the patients that we see being young animals, it is no surprise that our volunteers love working with the babies! 

This article was written by Billy Wright, WMC 3rd year veterinary student volunteer. 

Wildlife Medical Clinic
John A. Coyne South Clinic
2100 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-1195
College of Veterinary Medicine