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Crow population drops in Danville

Updated: January 10, 2013
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DANVILLE -- The city of Danville has been a popular gathering place for crows, but this winter, birdwatchers noticed something strange.
A lot of those birds have disappeared. 
"As the months rolled on, people weren't complaining as much about the crows," said Mary Jane Easterday with the Middlefork Audubon Society. Families have complained about the noise and droppings the birds left behind for years. 
But this year, Audubon says the crow population has dropped by more than half. The group conducts an annual Christmas bird count. They estimate there are a little over 121,000 crows roosting in Danville this year. Past numbers were as high as 250,000. 
"It's probably been affected by the drought," said Steve Bailey with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Bailey says the dry conditions means less fruits and nuts, plus less animals that eat those things as well. Crows are omnivores so their food supply has dwindled as well. "There isn't much of everything the crow eat."
Experts also think West Nile may have played a role in the unexpected drop. A dead crow near the Chicago area tested positive for that virus a few months back. Experts say they're not certain what's behind the decreasing numbers; they don't know where the birds have headed to either.
Easterday says she's called a number of Audubon groups in Central Illinois. All report little to no fluctuations in their crow population.

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