Parasitic helminths in grey heron (Ardea cinerea) chicks

Abstract

Parasitological studies were carried out on pulli (n = 20) collected on a breeding colony near the W loc lawski Reservoir on the Vistula River (Central Poland). Larvae of the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (mean intensity of infection 9.3) were detected in the stomachs of all chicks, with adult worms present in two chicks. Larvae of the nematode Porrocaecum ardeae (mean intensity 3.1), the tapeworm Paradilepis scolecina (58.5) and flukes of five genera: Tylodelphys, Posthodiplostomum, Apharyngostrigea, Paryphostomum and Echinochasmus (mean intensity in total 28.1) were found in the intestines of all chicks. The studies demonstrated that grey heron chicks are infected with parasites very early in life, which may adversely impact their health. The presence of adult C. rudolphii nematodes indicates a transfer of parasites from adult birds to chicks during feeding.

Parasite communities and infection levels of the invasive Chinese sleeper Perccottus glenii (Actinopterygii: Odontobutidae) from the Naab river basin, Germany

“…Four other species recorded at Kranzloh and Tongrube ( P. scolecina, V. campylancristrota, M. xanthosomus and S. colymbi ) are all parasites of fish-eating birds. The adult stage of V. campylancristrota , for example, parasitizes herons (Kozicka, 1971), while cormorants are the main definitive host of P. scolecina (Dziekońska-Rynko & Dzika, 2011), though it is also known from the grey heron ( Ardea cinerea L., 1758) (Dziekońska-Rynko et al , 2015), and both S. colymbi and M. xanthosomus parasitize great crested grebes ( Podiceps cristatus L., 1758) (Sudarikov et al , 2006; Sitko & Heneberg, 2015). Sokolov et al (2015) recorded another parasite specific to herons, M. macrosphincter , on Chinese sleepers from Lake Bründlweiher.…”

Gastrointestinal and ectoparasites of plumbeous rail, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Aves: Rallidae) in Central Chile

“…This does not seem to be an isolated incident given that Fanke et al (2011) reported the death of three common crane, Grus grus Linnaeus (1758), due to intestinal perforation caused by severe infestation with this parasite. Species of the genus Porrocaecum Railliet & Henry, 1912 are cosmopolitan and present indirect life cycles; invertebrates serve as an intermediate host (ATKINSON et al, 2008;DZIEKONSKA-RYNKO et al, 2015). There are several records of P. ardeae regularly affecting birds of the families Gruidae and Ardeidae in Europe and Central America (SCHMIDT & NEILAND, 1973;HARTWICH, 1979; FANKE et al, 2011; DZIEKONSKA-RYNKO et al, 2015;SITKO & HENEBERG, 2015).…”