Study of Avian Haematozoa in Baghdad City and Neighboring Areas

Abstract

Urbanization is always linked to biodiversity loss. Effects of urbanization and population growth on birds and their diseases are not understood well. Only few works carried out in Baghdad city on avian haematozoa. Between September 2019 and August 2020, a total of 254 birds either mist netted or purchased in Baghdad city. Blood smears were examined for haematozoa. The haematozoa prevalence is 15%. It is 15.2% among non-passeriformes birds and 14.8% among Passeriformes hosts. Infection among male hosts is 14.5% while it is 15.5% in females. Male and female non-passeriformes hosts acquired 18.5% and 12.8% infection rates respectively, while male and female Passeriformes acquired 11.9% and 21.1% respectively. Host transformations occurred frequently in the new urban host-parasite complex, but still there is a need for quantification studies of the same avian blood parasite species in urban and rural sites. Plasmodium spp. are the most common widely distributed parasite among the avian hosts examined in Baghdad city. Recording of Haemoproteus alaudae from Lullula arborea constitutes a new host record.