Avian cholera in a gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)

A 2-year-old female gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) was being used to hunt ducks in southeastern Wyoming during an outbreak of avian cholera in waterfowl and wild turkeys. While out overnight, the falcon consumed a bird. Within 24 hours the falcon was anorectic, and it was found dead approximately 48 hours following ingestion of wild prey. Gross and microscopic lesions were typical of avian cholera, and Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 was isolated from tissues of the falcon.