Gastrointestinal and external parasites of the Variable hawk Geranoaetus polyosoma (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) in Chile

Abstract

Abstract Information about parasites associated with diurnal raptors from Chile is scarce. Between 2006 and 2017, a total of 15 specimens of the Variable hawk, Geranoaetus polyosoma (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) were collected, 14 of them from different localities in the Biobío region and one specimen from the Valparaíso region. An external examination of the plumage was made to collect ectoparasites, and necropsies were performed, focusing primarily on the gastrointestinal tract. Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) were found on five (33.3%) of the birds corresponding to three species: 97 specimens of Degeeriella fulva (Giebel, 1874), six specimens of Colpocephalum turbinatum Denny, 1842 and nine belonging to an unidentified species of the genus Craspedorrhynchus Kéler, 1938. Endoparasites found in three (20%) of the birds included round worms (Nematoda) of the genus Procyrnea Chabaud, 1958, and spiny-headed worms (Acanthocephala) of the genus Centrorhynchus Lühe, 1911. The species Colpocephalum turbinatum and the genera: Craspedorrhynchus sp., Procyrnea sp. and Centrorhynchus sp. are new records for the Variable hawk.