Haemosporidian infection of the American Kestrel in the southern Chihuahua Desert, Mexico: relationship with land use

Abstract

We aimed to assess haemosporidian prevalence and parasitaemia in the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) in relation to land use (i.e. small villages < 1000 inhabitants, agricultural areas, scrubland) and season (spring–summer vs. fall–winter), and to evaluate the correlation between parasitaemia and kestrel body mass in the southern Chihuahuan Desert, Central Mexico. The entire sample comprised 59 American Kestrels captured during 2015 and 2016, of which 35 were male and 24 female. We recorded one haemosporidian morphospecies, Haemoproteus tinnunculi, and one novel haemosporidian lineage (FALSPA01). The sample prevalence was 32.2% (95% confidence interval 20–42%, n = 19 parasitized individuals). Prevalence did not differ between seasons (Fisher’s exact test P = 0.78), but was higher in villages, intermediate in agricultural areas, and lower in moderately degraded scrubland. Kestrel body mass decreased as parasitaemia increased. Our results suggest that, among infected individuals, only kestrels in better condition are able to maintain parasitaemia at a low level.