Hemoprotozoa in mourning doves and other small birds of western Oklahoma

Abstract

Blood smears obtained from 370 birds live-trapped in western Oklahoma were examined for hemoprotozoa. Haemoproteus spp. were found in 189 (90.4%) mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), one oriole (Icterus galbula), two mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), and three brown thrashers (Toxostoma rufum). Plasmodium sp. was present in one brown thrasher. Haemoproteus spp. in the mourning dove were identified as H. sacharovi and H. maccallumi, with the latter species predominating. The average parasitemia for doves infected only with H. sacharovi was 0.1% of the erythrocytes, for doves infected only with H. maccallumi it was 0.9%, and in doves with dual infections 1.8% of the erythrocytes were infected.