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Birds of prey, including endangered species, have been infected with H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) in several countries. In this present study, we assessed the pathogenicity...

Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) are considered migratory crows in Japan. Some rooks share a wintering site in the Izumi plain in Kagoshima Prefecture with hooded cranes (Grus monacha) and white-necked cranes (Grus vipio), which are designated as "endangered" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), caused by H5 subtype viruses, has recently been reported in these crane species in Japan, in conjunction with a massive decrease in their population. In the present study, the pathogenicity of HPAI virus was assessed in rooks to evaluate the likelihood that they are a source of infections in other bird species. One of four rooks intranasally inoculated with A/mandarin duck/Miyazaki/22M807-1/2011 (H5N1) died at 10 days post-inoculation (d.p.i.). The other three rooks exhibited seroconversion but no clinical signs. All the rooks had shed virus by the oral route at