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Common Kestrels Had More Diverse Blood Parasites Than Red-footed Falcons

Research: Ecology, Disease, parasites & microbiology

Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) had a higher proportion of positive blood-parasite tests and greater parasite diversity than Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) sampled in the same region of Hungary. The difference between these two falcons is a central finding of a study that also documented blood parasites in Red-footed Falcons for the first time.

Researchers examined blood samples from 468 Common Kestrels and 139 Red-footed Falcons from breeding colonies and pre-migratory roosts. They screened for haemosporidians—blood parasites including Plasmodium and Haemoproteus—using PCR tests targeting parasite mitochondrial DNA. In Red-footed Falcons they detected two parasite lineages, or genetically distinct variants: Haemoproteus lineage FALAMU02 in birds at pre-migratory roosts and Plasmodium lineage SGS1 in one nestling. In Common Kestrels, a larger share of samples tested positive and the range of parasite lineages was substantially greater.

Different findings in roosting birds and nestlings

No Haemoproteus infections were detected in Red-footed Falcon nestlings. Instead, the detections were Haemoproteus in birds at roosts and Plasmodium in one nestling. The authors suggest that this age-associated pattern may reflect differences in how readily infections are detected, or exposure accumulating over time. The study does not distinguish between these explanations.

The comparison shows a marked difference between the two falcon species sampled in the same region, but it does not establish that migration caused it. Red-footed Falcons are long-distance migrants, whereas Common Kestrels are largely sedentary. The authors suggest that this contrast in migratory strategy may contribute to the different parasite assemblages. The newly documented infections provide a basis for investigating how host ecology, age and movement relate to blood parasites in raptors.

Sources and image credit

  1. Differences in haemoparasite assemblages of a migratory and sedentary falcon species: first molecular evidence of haemosporidia in Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus)Primærkilde. Publisherens sammendrag var tilgjengelig for kontroll; fullteksten ble ikke gjennomgått. Publisheren oppgir CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, som ikke dokumenterer tillatelse til gjenbruk av figurer.

Image: A red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) perches on a dry plant stalk in an open natural landscape. Photo: TRinaud / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Representative photograph. · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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