| seroepizootiology of selected infectious disease agents in free-living birds of prey in germany. | four hundred forty-eight blood plasma samples from free-living birds of prey from berlin and the brandenburg area in eastern germany were tested for antibodies against newcastle disease virus (ndv), falcon herpesvirus (fhv), owl herpesvirus (ohv), and chlamydia psittaci. antibodies to ndv were detected in 6 (2%) of 346 tested diurnal birds of prey, whereas none of the owls (n = 55) was positive. the positive samples originated from two common buzzards (buteo buteo), three ospreys (pandion haliac ... | 2001 | 11272489 |
| host-specific exposure and fatal neurologic disease in wild raptors from highly pathogenic avian influenza virus h5n1 during the 2006 outbreak in germany. | raptors may contract highly pathogenic avian influenza virus h5n1 by hunting or scavenging infected prey. however, natural h5n1 infection in raptors is rarely reported. therefore, we tested raptors found dead during an h5n1 outbreak in wild waterbirds in mecklenburg-western pomerania, germany, in 2006 for h5n1-associated disease. we tested 624 raptors of nine species-common buzzard (385), eurasian sparrowhawk (111), common kestrel (38), undetermined species of buzzard (36), white-tailed sea eagl ... | 2015 | 25879698 |
| genetic characterization of oropharyngeal trichomonad isolates from wild birds indicates that genotype is associated with host species, diet and presence of pathognomonic lesions. | oropharyngeal trichomonad isolates of wild birds from spain were studied. a total of 1688 samples (1214 of predator birds and 474 of prey species) from wildlife recovery centres and scientific bird-ringing campaigns were analysed from 2011 to 2013. the overall infection prevalence was 20.3% (11.4% in predator birds and 43.3% in prey species). pathognomonic lesions were present in 26% of the infected birds (57.3% in predator birds and 4.9% in prey species). the most commonly parasitized species w ... | 2014 | 25262786 |
| seropositivity and risk factors associated with toxoplasma gondii infection in wild birds from spain. | toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic intracellular protozoan parasite of worldwide distribution that infects many species of warm-blooded animals, including birds. to date, there is scant information about the seropositivity of t. gondii and the risk factors associated with t. gondii infection in wild bird populations. in the present study, t. gondii infection was evaluated on sera obtained from 1079 wild birds belonging to 56 species (including falconiformes (n = 610), strigiformes (n = 260), ciconi ... | 2011 | 22216311 |
| Adaptive significance of permanent female mimicry in a bird of prey. | Permanent female mimicry, in which adult males express a female phenotype, is known only from two bird species. A likely benefit of female mimicry is reduced intrasexual competition, allowing female-like males to access breeding resources while avoiding costly fights with typical territorial males. We tested this hypothesis in a population of marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus in which approximately 40 per cent of sexually mature males exhibit a permanent, i.e. lifelong, female plumage phenotype. ... | 2011 | 22072281 |
| HELMINTH COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN BIRDS OF PREY (ACCIPITRIFORMES AND FALCONIFORMES) IN SOUTHERN ITALY. | Abstract We compared helminth communities of 6 species of birds of prey from the Calabria region of southern Italy. In total, 31 helminth taxa, including 17 nematodes, 9 digeneans, 3 acanthocephalans, and 2 cestodes were found. All helminth species were found in the gastrointestinal tract, except for 3 spirurid nematodes. Most of the parasite species were detected in at least two hosts, but 13 helminth species were found in only one host. At the infracommunity level, the overall species richne ... | 2011 | 21951214 |
| individuality in bird migration: routes and timing. | the exploration of animal migration has entered a new era with individual-based tracking during multiple years. here, we investigated repeated migratory journeys of a long-distance migrating bird, the marsh harrier circus aeruginosus, in order to analyse the variation within and between individuals with respect to routes and timing. we found that there was a stronger individual repeatability in time than in space. thus, the annual timing of migration varied much less between repeated journeys of ... | 2011 | 21307045 |
| geographical and temporal flexibility in the response to crosswinds by migrating raptors. | wind and ocean currents may potentially have important effects on travelling animals, as an animal which does not respond to lateral flow will be drifted from its intended direction of movement. by analysing daily movements of migrating ospreys pandion haliaetus and marsh harriers circus aeruginosus, as recorded by satellite telemetry, in relation to global wind data, we showed that these raptors allow on average 47 per cent drift. furthermore, our analyses revealed significant geographical and ... | 2010 | 20980299 |
| how hazardous is the sahara desert crossing for migratory birds? indications from satellite tracking of raptors. | we investigated the risk associated with crossing the sahara desert for migrating birds by evaluating more than 90 journeys across this desert by four species of raptors (osprey pandion haliaetus, honey buzzard pernis apivorus, marsh harrier circus aeruginosus and eurasian hobby falco subbuteo) recorded by satellite telemetry. forty per cent of the crossings included events of aberrant behaviours, such as abrupt course changes, slow travel speeds, interruptions, aborted crossings followed by ret ... | 2010 | 19955169 |
| [chewing-lice (phtihiraptera: amblycera, ischnocera) occurring on birds in the konya zoo]. | in this study, 25 birds belonging to 15 different species at the zoo in konya were inspected for the presence of chewing-lice. three long-legged buzzards (buteo rufinus), one imperial eagle (aquila heliaca) and one marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus) were found to be infested by chewing-lice. two hundred and eleven chewing-lice specimens were collected from the birds and seven species were identified. they were mounted on slides separately in faure forte medium or canada balsam after clearing in ... | 2009 | 19367546 |
| the roost and roosting behaviour of eurasian marsh harriers circus aeruginosus during autumnal migration in eastern poland. | the study deals with characteristics of behaviour, individual roost sites selections used by eurasian marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus) during autumnal migrations on the first known communal roost in poland over the years 2003-2005. eurasian marsh harriers communal roosts contained from 1 to 23 individuals which were spend nights in: reed beds (phragmites australis), purple moor grasses molinia cearulea, small reeds (calamagrostis sp.), sedges (carex sp.) thistles (cirsium sp.). adult birds wer ... | 2007 | 19069855 |
| occurrence of mycoplasmas in free-ranging birds of prey in germany. | mycoplasmas are well-known avian pathogens of poultry and some passerines. although reported in birds of prey, their role as pathogens is still unclear. healthy, free-ranging raptor nestlings sampled during a routine ringing (banding) program, and birds of prey from rehabilitation centers, tested positive for mycoplasma spp. by culture and a genus-specific polymerase chain reaction (pcr). given the lack of clinical signs and disease, we suggest that mycoplasmas in raptors may be commensal rather ... | 2008 | 18957640 |
| specific status and pathogenicity of syngamid nematodes in bird species (ciconiformes, falconiformes, gruiformes) from germany. | a total of 549 birds from four orders were examined for nematodes in their respiratory system from 1995 to 2000. twelve individuals of falconiformes (n = 503), one of gruiformes (n = 22) and one of ciconiformes (n = 1), but no bird of the order strigiformes (n = 23) were infected with syngamids. the syngamid species included hovorkonema variegatum, syngamus trachea and cyathostoma trifurcatum from the trachea, bronchi and air sacs, with h. variegatum being the most prevalent. cyathostoma trifurc ... | 2007 | 17381870 |
| examination of mercury concentration in the feathers of 18 species of birds in southwest iran. | this paper presents the levels of mercury (hg) in tail feathers from different species of birds, in southwest iran (khuzestan to persian gulf). between april and october 2005, we collected tail feathers from 77 birds belonging to 18 species, mostly raptor birds. the birds were collected for the museum natural history, faculty of natural resources and marine sciences of tarbiat modares university. hg concentrations were evaluated in relation to taxonomic affiliation and trophic level. feather hg ... | 2007 | 17307157 |
| [occurrence of parasites in indigenous birds of prey and owls]. | in the present paper a general overview on parasites in birds of prey and owls is given. this part is followed by a study investigating the prevalences and species of parasites in free-ranging birds of prey and owls in berlin and brandenburg state, germany. over a one year period, 84 birds of prey and owls of the following species were examined for the presence of endo- and ectoparasites: common buzzard (buteo buteo) (n = 32), kestrel (falco tinnunculus) (n = 20), sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus) ( ... | 2002 | 11852683 |
| two new species of caryospora léger, 1904 (apicomplexa, eimeriidae) from accipitrid raptors. | two new species of coccidia (apicomplexa: eimeriidae) are described from european accipitrid raptors (falconiformes: accipitridae). oöcysts of carvospora aquilae n. sp. found in faeces of the gold eagle aquila chrysaetos are subspherical to broad ellipsoidal and measure 43 (40-49) x 37.5 (34-39) microm. polar granule, oöcyst residuum and micropyle are absent. each oöcyst contains one spherical to subspherical slightly polygonal sporocyst measuring 23.8 (23-25) x 23.3 (22-25) microm. stieda and s ... | 2000 | 10803432 |
| energy requirements for growth in relation to sexual size dimorphism in marsh harrier circus aeruginosus nestlings. | food consumption was measured in six female and seven male hand-raised marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus) nestlings. females consumed on average 4,321 g and males consumed 3,571 g of food during the nestling stage from 0 to 36 d. total consumption until 56 d was 6,960 g and 5,822 g for females and males, respectively. on the basis of fisher's sex ratio theory, this food intake ratio of 0.46 (intake male/[intake male + female]) would explain the observed male-biased fledging sex ratio of 55% male ... | 1998 | 9798256 |
| [parasites of austrian birds of prey (falconiformes)]. | during the examination of 158 birds of prey -- buteo buteo (85), falco tinnunculus (30), accipiter gentilis (19), accipiter nisus (18), circus aeruginosus (2), circus pygargus (1), pandion haliaetus (1), pernis apivorus (1), falco subbuteo (1) and faeces samples of falco tinnunculus 4 protozoan species, 1 trematode species, 2 cestode species, 13 nematode species, 2 acanthocephalan species and 5 mallophaga species could be detected. in the buzzard, kestrel and goshawk a new species of capillaria ... | 1980 | 7212374 |
| the role of birds as definitive hosts and intermediate hosts of heteroxenous coccidians. | sarcocystis-like oocysts-sporocysts were found in four species of owls (asio otus, bubo bubo, strix aluco, and tyto alba) and in five species of predatory birds (accipiter gentilis, accipiter nisus, buteo buteo, circus aeruginosus, falco tinnunculus). in addition, the muscles of 15 of 41 (36.5%) pheasants (phasianus colchicus) and one of two jays (garrulus glandarius) were found to harbor three types of sarcocystis. three of 15 (20%) infected pheasants had type i cystozoites (6-8 x 2 microns) in ... | 1984 | 6439858 |
| urbanization and cattle density are determinants in the exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides of non-target wildlife. | the persistence and toxicity of second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (sgars) in animal tissues make these compounds dangerous by biomagnification in predatory species. here we studied the levels of sgars in non-target species of wildlife and the environmental factors that influence such exposure. liver samples of terrestrial vertebrates (n = 244) found dead between 2007 and 2016 in the region of aragón (ne spain) were analysed. the presence of sgars was statistically analysed with binary ... | 2019 | 30390453 |
| nests of marsh harrier (circus aeruginosusl.) as refuges of potentially phytopathogenic and zoopathogenic fungi. | birds' nests may be refuges for various species of fungi including that which are potentially phytopathogenic and zoopathogenic. among the 2449 isolates of fungi obtained from nests of marsh harriers 96.8% belonged to filamentous fungi. in total, 37 genera were identified from 63 fungi species. within the mycobiotas of the examined nests populations of fungi which are potentially pathogenic for humans, homoiothermous animals and plants dominated. among 63 species, 46 (72%) were potentially patho ... | 2018 | 29379370 |
| a molecular phylogeny of the harriers (circus, accipitridae) indicate the role of long distance dispersal and migration in diversification. | the monophyly of the raptorial circus genus (harriers) has never been in question, but the specific status of many, often vulnerable island endemic, taxa remains uncertain. here we utilise one mitochondrial and three nuclear loci from all currently recognised circus taxa (species and subspecies) to infer a robust phylogeny, to estimate the divergence date and to reconstruct the biogeographic origins of the circus group. our phylogeny supports both the monophyly of circus and polyphyly of the gen ... | 2015 | 25701771 |
| genome characterization of a novel megrivirus-related avian picornavirus from a carnivorous wild bird, western marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus). | in this study, the complete genome of a novel picornavirus called harrier picornavirus 1 (hapv-1) strain harrier/mr-01/hun/2014 (ky488458) was sequenced and analysed from a cloacal sample of a threatened, carnivorous wild bird, western marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus). hapv-1 was detectable from 2 of the 3 samples from harriers. hapv-1 is phylogenetically related to megriviruses (genus megrivirus) from domestic chicken, turkey and duck, showing a similar genome organization pattern; it also ha ... | 2017 | 28500443 |
| a potential new threat to wild life: presence of uv filters in bird eggs from a preserved area. | the present study uses bird eggs of 7 wild species as a biomonitoring tool for sunscreens occurrence. seven uv filters (uv-fs), including 3 hydroxy-metabolites of oxybenzone (benzophenone 3, bp3) were characterized in unhatched eggs from doñana natural space (southwestern, spain). high frequency of detection was observed for all uv-fs, ranging from 95% to 100%. the oxybenzone metabolite 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4hb) was ubiquitous at concentrations in the range 12.0-3,348ng g(-1) dry weight (dw). ... | 2017 | 28870065 |
| leucocytozoon spp. infection in accipitriformes birds in iran. | leucocytozoon spp. (haemosporida, leucocytozoidae) are vector-borne parasites of various birds. leucocytozoon can infect different reticuloendothelial tissues and blood cells of birds. in this study peripheral blood samples were collected from accipitriformes birds [three marsh harriers (circus aeruginosus) and one tawny eagle (aquila rapax)] in one birds' garden in iran. blood films were observed for identification of hemoparasites. all samples were infected by different leucocytozoon species. ... | 2017 | 28848263 |
| carotenoid-based coloration, condition, and immune responsiveness in the nestlings of a sexually dimorphic bird of prey. | in many birds, nestlings exhibit brightly colored traits that are pigmented by carotenoids. carotenoids are diet limited and also serve important health-related physiological functions. the proximate mechanisms behind the expression of these carotenoid-pigmented traits are still poorly known, especially in nestlings with sexual size dimorphism. in these nestlings, intrabrood competition levels and growth strategies likely differ between sexes, and this may in turn influence carotenoid allocation ... | 2012 | 22705486 |
| interspecific comparison of the performance of soaring migrants in relation to morphology, meteorological conditions and migration strategies. | performance of migrating birds can be affected by a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors like morphology, meteorological conditions and migration strategies. we compared travel speeds of four raptor species during their crossing of the sahara desert. focusing the analyses on this region allows us to compare different species under equivalent conditions in order to disentangle which factors affect migratory performance. | 2012 | 22768314 |
| measuring oxidative stress: the confounding effect of lipid concentration in measures of lipid peroxidation. | lipid peroxidation products are widely used as markers of oxidative damage in the organism. to properly interpret the information provided by these markers, it is necessary to know potential sources of bias and control confounding factors. here, we investigated the relationship between two indicators of lipid mobilization (circulating levels of triglycerides and cholesterol) and two common markers of oxidative damage (plasma levels of malondialdehyde and hydroperoxides; the latter estimated from ... | 2015 | 25860832 |
| mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations. | the consequences of bird mortality caused by collisions with wind turbines are increasingly receiving attention. so-called acceptable mortality limits of populations, that is, those that assume that 1%-5% of additional mortality and the potential biological removal (pbr), provide seemingly clear-cut methods for establishing the reduction in population viability.we examine how the application of these commonly used mortality limits could affect populations of the common starling, black-tailed god ... | 2020 | 32724513 |
| effect of nest age and habitat variables on nest survival in marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus) in a fishpond habitat. | one important anti-predator strategy adopted by birds involves nest site selection and timing of breeding. nest-site selection by marsh-nesting birds often involves nest concealment and water depth as key features influencing nest survival. marsh harrier (circus aeruginosus) is an obligate ground nester, which sets it apart from other raptors. the aim of the present study was to identify for the first time possible temporal and habitat factors affecting nest survival in marsh harrier. understand ... | 2020 | 32974108 |
| gps tracking data of western marsh harriers breeding in belgium and the netherlands. | in this data paper three datasets are described containing gps tracking and acceleration data of western marsh harriers (circus aeruginosus) breeding in belgium and the netherlands. the western marsh harrier is included as a threatened bird species in annex i of the european bird directive due to the steep decline in population densities. in order to collect data of habitat use and migration behaviour, western marsh harriers were equipped with light-weight solar powered gps trackers developed by ... | 2020 | 32733133 |
| fine-scale genetic structure in a high dispersal capacity raptor, the montagu's harrier (circus pygargus), revealed by a set of novel microsatellite loci. | the montagu's harrier (circus pygargus) is a semi-colonial raptor species widely but patchily distributed across the palearctic region with recorded cases of philopatry and presence of extra-pair copulation. in order to assess montagu's harrier spatial genetic structure and contemporary gene flow, we developed 16 new microsatellite markers using 454 pyrosequencing. genotypes of 117 chicks sampled in a 200 × 300 km farmland area in central western france were analyzed to characterize genetic poly ... | 2019 | 30671744 |
| morphologic and genetic identification of sarcocystis fulicae n. sp. (apicomplexa: sarcocystidae) from the eurasian coot ( fulica atra). | one morphologic type of sarcocyst was found in 26% (7/27) of eurasian coots ( fulica atra) and was described as sarcocystis fulicae n. sp. using morphologic, 18s ribosomal (r)dna, 28s rdna, and internal transcribed spacer 1 (its1) analysis. by light microscope, cysts were ribbon-shaped and measured 7.3 mm in length by 116 μm wide. histologically, the cyst wall reached up to 1.2 μm in thickness and seemed smooth. the detected sarcocysts were packed with relatively small banana-shaped bradyzoites ... | 2018 | 29863972 |