Zoonotic viruses continue to pose a serious risk to human and animal health. Of these, negative-sense RNA viruses are recognized as a major threat, being the causative agent of numerous epornitics, epidemics and pandemics. Moreover, the World Health Organization lists numerous negative-sense RNA viruses as priority pathogens of concern due to their pandemic potential and/or lack of adequate countermeasures. Negative-sense RNA viruses such as highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, Hendra and Nipah viruses, Ebola virus, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, can cause severe disease and devastating infection outcomes in human and animal hosts. Peering through a one health lens, it is crucial to understand infection dynamics in relevant hosts to understand factors that contribute to the emergence, spill over, and disease severity of novel, negative-sense zoonotic RNA viruses.