Climate and human water use diminish wetland networks supporting continental waterbird migration.

Migrating waterbirds moving between upper and lower latitudinal breeding and wintering grounds rely on a limited network of endorheic lakes and wetlands when crossing arid continental interiors. Recent drying of global endorheic water stores raises concerns over deteriorating migratory pathways, yet few studies have considered these effects at the scale of continental flyways. Here, we investigate the resiliency of waterbird migration networks across western North America by reconstructing long-term patterns (1984-2018) of terminal lake and wetland surface water area in 26 endorheic watersheds.

West Nile Virus Prevalence in Wild Birds from Mexico.

West Nile virus (WNV) emerged in the Americas with its introduction in 1999 and now is considered endemic across the continent. In 2002, WNV was detected in Mexico, where its occurrence and mortality are considerably lower compared with the US. However, continuous national surveillance programs in Mexico are nonexistent.