Fatal pox infection in a rough-legged hawk
Natural pox infection occurred in a free-living rough-legged hawk ( Buteo lagopus ) in northeastern North Dakota. Gross, histological and electron microscopic findings were typical of pox infection, and characteristic lesions developed in red-tailed hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis ) but not in great horned owls ( Bubo virginianus ) following inoculation with case material. Death of the rough-legged hawk was attributed to starvation resulting from inability to capture prey and to blood loss from foot lesions.
Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗