Unusual blood profiles in the endemic Kagu of New Caledonia are not physiological

Abstract

AbstractPrevious research reported a unique haematological profile in the flightless Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus). To verify this, we analysed blood of eight wild and four captive Kagu. The haematological profiles of our captive birds resembled those of the previously studied captive Kagu. Haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular haemoglobin by far exceeded the highest levels recorded for birds. Conversely, the blood profile in wild Kagu fit in the range of other birds. We conclude that blood profiles of captive Kagu indicate a pathology, and that Kagu do not have fundamentally different blood characteristic than other endothermic vertebrates.