Hematozoa from Colorado Birds. I. Pigeons and Doves

Abstract

A survey of the blood smears from 464 Colorado columbiforms included blood from: 86 domestic pigeons (Columba livia), 109 band-tailed pigeons (C. fasciata fasciata), and 269 western mourning doves (Zenaidura macroura marginella). Haemoproteus columbae was found in 57 of the band-tails and 164 of the mourning doves; H. sacharovi was in 76 of the band-tails and 163 of the mourning doves. Leucocytozoon marchouxi occurred in 1 of the domestic pigeons, 39 of the band-tailed pigeons, and 37 of the mourning doves. Plasmodium hexamerium was found in one of the domestic pigeons and in one of the mourning doves. Trypanosoma avium was seen in two of the mourning doves; microfilariae were found in one of the band-tails and in nine of the mourning doves. This is the first record of a natural infection with Plasmodium hexamerium in either the domestic pigeon or the western mourning dove, and the second reporting of Leucocytozoon marchouxi in the domestic pigeon. In 51 western mourning doves of which both the femoral bone marrow and blood were examined, Trypanosoma avium was found in the bone marrow of 13 and in the blood of none. Surveys of the blood parasites of birds are legion. Few surveys, however, have been made in which sizable numbers of birds of any one species have been examined. Furthermore, relatively few data are available from the Rocky Mountain region. During the past 15 years the senior author has collected approximately 2,000 blood films from Colorado birds. Rather than wait for all these films to be examined, it seemed best to report on each particular group of birds as its examination was completed. It was decided to start with the Columbiformes (pigeons and doves), with which this paper deals. A short abstract previously dealt with some of the band-tailed pigeons included here (Stabler, Limberg, and Matteson, 1950). MATERIALS AND METHODS Collected within some 30 miles of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the birds were either shot or captured alive. They included: 88 domestic pigeons (Columba livia), 109 band-tailed pigeons (C. fasciata fasciata), and 269 western mourning doves (Zenaidura macroura marginella). Blood films from the dead birds were made from the thoracic cavity; those from the live ones were made from a snipped toenail. Films were stained with Giemsa and searched carefully for hematozoa. The femoral marrow from 51 of the mourning doves was also examined in physiological salt solution for trypanosomes.