Abstract
AbstractResearch on the occurrence and community composition of vector-transmitted protozoan haemoparasites in birds is heavily skewed toward passerines with many other orders underrepresented. In caprimulgids, a family of primarily ground-nesting, crepuscular/nocturnal birds occupying a wide range of dry habitats, research on protozoan haemoparasites is limited and in most cases based on only a few individuals. Here, using the molecular approach, the occurrence and diversity of parasites from four genera (Haemosporida: Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon; Trypanosomatida: Trypanosoma) were investigated in a representative of the family—the Eurasian Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus). Birds were sampled at a breeding location in south-eastern Poland at the beginning of the breeding season. Overall, 20 individuals, including 17 males and 3 females, were screened. Only 10% of birds were infected and in total, two parasite lineages—both representing Plasmodium genus—were identified. Detected parasite lineages were previously registered in a wide range of avian hosts. Known transmission areas of these lineages indicate that breeding populations of Eurasian Nightjars from south-eastern Poland contract infections on non-breeding grounds. This study reinforces earlier observations of the low prevalence of haemosporidians and trypanosomes in caprimulgids.
Funder
Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
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