Haemosporidian Parasites in Blood Smears of Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus, Falconiformes: Accipitridae) in Northeastern Turkey

This preliminary study was aimed at determining the occurrence of haemosporidian parasites in the blood of sparrowhawks. For this purpose, blood samples were prepared from 9 sparrowhawks. All birds had been collected from different areas of Northeast Turkey. Blood smears were stained with 5% Giemsa solution and examined under the light microscopy. A total of 7 individuals were infected (77.8%). Haemoproteus spp., Leucocytozoon spp. and Plasmodium spp. were detected in 5 (55.6%), 6 (66.7%) and 4 (44.4%) birds, respectively. There were no haemosporidian parasites in 2 birds (22.2%). We observed mixed infections in 85.7% of the birds and single infections (14.3%). Each of the 3 parasites was observed together in 2 birds. Both Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp. were detected in 3 birds. Leucocytozoon sp. and Plasmodium sp. were detected in one bird. This is the first report of the occurrence of hemosporidian parasites in sparrowhawks in Northeastern Turkey.