Intestinal Helminths in Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) from Arizona, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee, U.S.A

We examined 115 hunter-killed mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) from 4 states (Arizona, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee, U.S.A.) in 1998 and 1999 to investigate geographical variation in the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infections. Four intestinal helminth species were identified: Killigrewia delafondi, Ornithostrongylus crami, Ascaridia columbae, and Capillaria obsignata. The number of worms (all helminth species combined) per infected bird ranged from 1 to 166 (mean 6 SE 5 12.7 6 7.45, median 5 2.0). Filarids, Aproctella stoddardi, were found in 2 birds but were probably adhering to the outside of the intestine. Overall, 18% of the doves were infected with 1 or more species of helminths. The percentage of doves infected with at least 1 helminth species varied from 4% in Arizona to 27% in South Carolina. Mixed infections occurred in only 3 individuals (14% of infected birds). We found no significant differences in prevalence of infection among any of the 4 helminths by host age or sex, and prevalences were too low to test for differences among states. The intensity of O. crami was higher in males than in females but did not differ significantly among states. Intensities of the other 3 helminths did not differ by sex or state, and we found no differences in helminth intensity by age. Intestinal length was significantly greater in infected than in uninfected birds. K E Y W O R D S : H e l m i n t h s , m o u r n i n g d o v e , Zenaida macroura, Killigrewia delafondi, Ornithostrongylus crami, Ascaridia columbae, Capillaria obsignata, Arizona, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee. Previous studies of mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) helminths in the United States have been limited to the southeastern states (e.g., Barrows and Hayes, 1977; Conti and Forrester, 1981; Forrester et al., 1983), except for a study in Illinois in which no intestinal parasites were found (Hanson et al., 1957). Geographic patterns in the distribution of helminths within specific hosts have been evaluated often (Bush, 1990), but we are unaware of reports addressing geographic patterns in the distribution of helminth communities of mourning doves outside the southeastern United States. Because macroparasites are capable of regulating host populations (Dobson and Hudson, 1992), information on the geographic variation in helminth infections in mourning doves may aid in understanding dove population dynamics. In addition, information on the range and variation in abundance of helminth species might provide further insight into the ecology of these parasites. In the present study our objectives were to identify the helminth fauna in a sample of mourning doves and to determine whether the prevalence and intensity of helminths varied according to geographic location or the age or sex of the host. We examined 115 hunter-killed mourning doves that were shot during the first 2 wk of September in 1998 and 1999 at 3 locations in Arizona, U.S.A. (338199N 1128389W; 328449N 1118299W; and 328 369N 1118349W); 6 locations in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (408079N 778279W; 408269N 758119W; 408029N 768159W; 408229N 768289W; 408459N 758189 W; and 408379N 758359W); 2 locations in South Carolina, U.S.A. (348399N 798419W and 338219N 808169W), and 2 locations in Tennessee, U.S.A. (368119N, 868329W and 368019N, 868319W). Because sample sizes from each site within a state were small, samples from each state were pooled. The number of carcasses examined from each of the states were Arizona, 23; Pennsylvania, 31; South Carolina, 30; and Tennessee, 31. Age was determined by plumage characteristics (Mirarchi, 1993), and sex was determined by visual examination of gonads. For each carcass the intestine from the point of attachment to the gizzard to the cloaca was removed and kept 3 Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected]). 4 Present address: Alaska SeaLife Center, 319 Railway Avenue, Seward, Alaska 99664, U.S.A. (email: tuula_ [email protected]). 5 Present address: Maahisentie 3 g 11, 90550 Oulu, Finland (e-mail: [email protected]). 6 Corresponding author. Comp. Parasitol. 71(1), 2004, pp. 81–85