This intensive hands-on course will provide an overview of common diseases, including avian influenza, and other health issues that affect birds.  Participants will practice planning and conducting field investigations through an actual field scenario. Hands-on avian sampling methods will include egg, blood, oral pharyngeal, cloacal, fecal, and feather collection.  A complete necropsy of duck (game mallard) and songbird (European starling) is conducted in the laboratory with tissue extraction.  Participants will leave the course with a draft disease contingency plan for their areas.

Who Should Attend: Personnel responsible for responding to avian morbidity and mortality events from programs including Refuges, Environmental Contaminants, Endangered Species and Migratory Birds.  Other potentially interested participants include conservation officers, state wildlife veterinarians, banders, researchers and Tribal biologists.

Length:4.5 days/ 36 hours (4 – 6 hours evening work is required) (3 College credits available for completing this course.)

Objectives: The participant will be able to:

• Evaluate the health condition of individual or group of birds.
• Observe and recognize unusual environmental changes and avian clinical signs that are indicative of disease.
• Communicate information regarding current diseases (for this session, AI and West Nile) within FWS and outside.
• Anticipate possible avian health situations in your ‘area’ and determine the magnitude of the response or investigation needed.
• Develop a disease contingency plan/response plan for your area.
• Assess an avian morbidity/mortality event and determine the correct response.
• Plan and execute avian field sampling.
• Recognize risk factors and determine the magnitude of site control.
• Use biosafety best practices for disease response (sample handling, decontamination, personal protective equipment and carcass disposal).
• Collect, handle and/or euthanize birds using animal care and use guidelines while maintaining safety of self, animal and others.
• Use specific protocols for collection of each type of sample that are specific to the diagnostic facility (or study plan).
• Determine age and sex (depending on the species) using published guides and external and internal examination.
• Collect standard morphometric data and assess body condition using a given protocol.
• Conduct a standard necropsy examination including identification of major internal structures and collection of tissue samples.
• Collect and process following samples:  oral pharyngeal, cloacal, blood, fecal, and feather.
• Collect egg related data including development stage and egg contents.

Availability:	Annually
Contact:	Karene Motivans
Branch:	Conservation Science & Policy Branch
Phone:	304/876-7458