29Wild birds are major natural reservoirs and potential dispersers of a variety of infectious 30 diseases. As such, it is important to determine the diversity of viruses they carry and use this 31 information to help understand the potential risks of spill-over to humans, domestic animals, and 32 other wildlife. We investigated the potential viral causes of paresis in long-standing, but 33 undiagnosed disease syndromes in wild Australian birds. RNA from diseased birds was extracted 34 and pooled based on tissue type, host species and clinical manifestation for metagenomic 35 sequencing. Using a bulk and unbiased meta-transcriptomic approach, combined with careful 36 clinical investigation and histopathology, we identified a number of novel viruses from the 37 families Astroviridae, Picornaviridae, Polyomaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Parvoviridae, 38 Flaviviridae, and Circoviridae in common urban wild birds including Australian magpies, 39 magpie lark, pied currawongs, Australian ravens, and rainbow lorikeets. In each case the 40 presence of the virus was confirmed by RT-PCR. These data revealed a number of candidate 41 viral pathogens that may contribute to coronary, skeletal muscle, vascular and neuropathology in 42 birds of the Corvidae and Artamidae families, and neuropathology in members of the 43 Psittaculidae. The existence of such a diverse virome in urban avian species highlights the 44 importance and challenges in elucidating the etiology and ecology of wildlife pathogens in urban 45 environments. This information will be increasingly important for managing disease risks and 46 conducting surveillance for potential viral threats to wildlife, livestock and human health. More 47