Aquatic bird bornavirus 1 (ABBV-1) is associated with fatal inflammation of nervous tissue in avian species. Waterfowl act as the natural host, with populations of Canada geese existing as carriers in North America, however ABBV-1 has been detected from other non-waterfowl species. The objective of this thesis was to characterize the host range of ABBV-1 to determine the relative threat to the poultry industry. Studies were conducted to: 1) characterize ABBV-1 in continuous avian cell lines, 2) assess ABBV-1 replication kinetics in primary goose, duck, chicken and turkey fibroblasts, and 3) evaluate an in ovo model to assess ABBV-1 host restriction and pathogenesis. The results indicated that poultry species were semi-permissive to infection in vitro at decreased rates compared to natural hosts. Inoculation in ovo was ineffective in inducing virus spread and lesions in any species, making it unsuitable to study ABBV-1. This work will inform future research regarding ABBV-1.