Prevalence and Host Specificity of Haemosporidian Parasites in Eurasian Kestrels and Eurasian Buzzards in Northern Italy: Morphological and Molecular Analysis|PREVALENCIA Y ESPECIFICIDAD DE HOSPEDADOR DE PARÁSITOS HEMOSPÓRIDIOS EN FALCO TINNUNCULUS Y BUTEO BUTEO EN EL NORTE DE ITALIA: ANÁLISIS MORFOLÓGICO Y MOLECULAR

We investigated the prevalence and host specificity of haemosporidian parasites in wild Eurasian Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and Eurasian Buzzards (Buteo buteo) admitted to a recovery facility in northern Italy. By combining morphological and molecular approaches, we analyzed 47 blood samples (37 kestrels and 10 buzzards) in 2021-2023. We documented a notable prevalence of haemosporidian parasites, specifically Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon. Of the 47 samples analyzed, 22 were positive for haemosporidian parasites, based on Giemsa-stained smears. The molecular procedure identified an additional four samples as positive, all of which had been previously classified as negative using the Giemsastained method, and allowed the analysis of three samples that had been excluded due to poor quality. In total, 27 birds (57%) tested positive for at least one haemosporidian: Haemoproteus brachiatus (22 samples, primarily from kestrels) or Leucocytozoon spp. (8 samples, all from buzzards). Three buzzards were infected with both genera. Haemoproteus brachiatus was detected in 48.6% of kestrels and 40% of buzzards. This study highlights the importance of combining morphological and molecular techniques to gain a comprehensive understanding of parasite prevalence among raptors admitted to a rehabilitation facility.