Endoparasite Community of Common Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae) in Southeast Florida
Abstract
Wood-warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds in the family Parulidae. They are among the first migratory birds in North America to begin their southward migration during the early autumn months and southeast Florida serves as a wintering ground. Although wood-warblers are common and widespread, knowledge of their endoparasite community composition is severely underrepresented in current literature. Carcasses were opportunistically collected from wildlife rescue centers in southeast Florida. The digestive tract of 90 birds representing 5 common wood-warbler species were examined for endoparasites: Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), Black-and--White Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Phyla Nematoda, Cestoda, and Digenea were found, and nematodes were the most prevalent endoparasite taxa. However, within each species, less than 50% of the surveyed specimens contained endoparasites: 15.8% of Common Yellowthroats, 46.7% of Ovenbirds, 6.7% of Black--and-White Warblers, 18.7% of Palm Warblers and 8.0% of American Redstarts. Within each individual bird that contained parasites, only one parasite taxa was present. The greater average mass of the species tended to correlate with a higher percentage of samples containing parasites. Two digeneans from subfamily Opisthorchiinae were detected in ovenbirds, cestodes in the genus Mesocestoides from American redstarts, and three nematode species (likely Dispharynx sp. as well as two unidentified taxa) from ovenbirds, black and white warblers, palm warblers, and American redstarts. Excluding the digenean species, the parasites observed are cosmopolitan in North American birds, although this was the first study documenting their presence in warblers.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Christopher Blanar, Dr. David Kerstetter
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-7-2022 5:00 PM
Endoparasite Community of Common Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae) in Southeast Florida
Alvin Sherman Library
Wood-warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds in the family Parulidae. They are among the first migratory birds in North America to begin their southward migration during the early autumn months and southeast Florida serves as a wintering ground. Although wood-warblers are common and widespread, knowledge of their endoparasite community composition is severely underrepresented in current literature. Carcasses were opportunistically collected from wildlife rescue centers in southeast Florida. The digestive tract of 90 birds representing 5 common wood-warbler species were examined for endoparasites: Common Yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), Black-and--White Warblers (Mniotilta varia), Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Phyla Nematoda, Cestoda, and Digenea were found, and nematodes were the most prevalent endoparasite taxa. However, within each species, less than 50% of the surveyed specimens contained endoparasites: 15.8% of Common Yellowthroats, 46.7% of Ovenbirds, 6.7% of Black--and-White Warblers, 18.7% of Palm Warblers and 8.0% of American Redstarts. Within each individual bird that contained parasites, only one parasite taxa was present. The greater average mass of the species tended to correlate with a higher percentage of samples containing parasites. Two digeneans from subfamily Opisthorchiinae were detected in ovenbirds, cestodes in the genus Mesocestoides from American redstarts, and three nematode species (likely Dispharynx sp. as well as two unidentified taxa) from ovenbirds, black and white warblers, palm warblers, and American redstarts. Excluding the digenean species, the parasites observed are cosmopolitan in North American birds, although this was the first study documenting their presence in warblers.
