The Eimeria and Isospora of Falconiformes
(caracara, eagles, falcons, goshawks, harriers, hawks, kestrels, kites, osprey, vultures)

Compiled by
Donald W. Duszynski and Lee Couch
Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
and
Steve J. Upton
Division of Biology, Kansas State University

Supported by NSF-PEET DEB 9521687

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Updated: 07 September 1999
Comments: coccidia@ksu.edu


NOTE: It is unlikely that any of the following Eimeria or Isospora spp. are valid. Virtually all of the eimerians listed, and several isosporans, appear to represent coccidia of other birds or animals inadvertently ingested with the prey. The reports of the isosporans with thin oocyst walls represent the genus Sarcocystis.

  1. Eimeria accipitris Schwalbach, 1959
    1. Host: Accipiter nisus (European sparrow hawk - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Schwalbach 1959
    3. This may simply have been a pseudoparasite ingested by this hawk

  2. Eimeria asturi Galli-Valerio, 1935
    1. Host: Accipiter gentalis (Northern goshawk - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Galli-Valerio 1935
    3. This may simply have been a pseudoparasite ingested by the goshawk

  3. Eimeria sp. of Huber, 1964
    1. Host: Accipiter nisus (European sparrow hawk - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Huber 1964
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested with the prey

  4. Eimeria sp. of Huber, 1964
    1. Host: Falco tinnunculus (Eurasian kestrel - Falconidae)
    2. Reference: Huber 1964
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested with the prey

  5. Eimeria sp. of Markus & Munday 1979
    1. Host: Torgos tracheliotus (Lappet-faced vulture - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Markus & Munday 1979
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested during scavenging

  6. Eimeria sp. of Markus & Munday 1979
    1. Host: Gyps africanus (African white-backed vulture - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Markus & Munday 1979
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested during scavenging

  7. Eimeria sp. of Markus & Munday 1979
    1. Host: Gyps coprotheres (Cape vulture - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Markus & Munday 1979
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested during scavenging

  8. Eimeria sp. of Markus & Munday 1979
    1. Host: Necrosyrtes monachus (Hooded vulture - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Markus & Munday 1979
    3. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested during scavenging

  9. Eimeria sp. of Rachmatullina & Svanbaev, 1971
    1. Synonym: Eimeria accipitris Schwalbach, 1959 of Rachmatullina & Svanbaev, 1971
    2. Host: Hieraaetus (?) fasciata (Bonelli's eagle - Accipitridae)
    3. Reference: Rachmatullina & Svanbaev 1971
    4. This may simply have been an eimerian ingested with the prey

  10. Isospora buteonis Henry, 1932 of Mathey, 1966
    1. Host: Aquila chrysaetos (Golden eagle - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Mathey 1966
    3. This is a Sarcocystis sp. and not a valid species of isosporan

  11. Isospora buteonis Henry, 1932
    1. Hosts: Accipiter cooperii (Cooper's hawk - Accipiteridae); Buteo jamaicensis (Red-tailed hawk - Accipiteridae), Buteo swainsoni (Swainson's hawk - Accipiteridae)
    2. Reference: Henry 1932
    3. These are Sarcocystis spp. and not valid isosporans

  12. Isospora buteonis Henry, 1932 of Holling & Fowle, 1955
    1. Host: Accipiter gentalis (Northern goshawk - Accipiteridae)
    2. Reference: Holling & Fowle 1955
    3. This is a Sarcocystis sp. and not a valid isosporan

  13. Isospora buteonis Henry, 1932 of Mathey, 1966
    1. Hosts: Aquila chrysaetos (Golden eagle - Accipitridae); Falco sparverius (American kestrel - Falconidae)
    2. Reference: Mathey 1966
    3. These are Sarcocystis spp. and not valid isosporans

  14. Isospora cheeli Bhatia, Pande, & Garg, 1970
    1. Host: Milvus migrans (Black kite - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Bhatia et al. 1970
    3. This is a Sarcocystis sp. and not a valid isosporan

  15. Isospora gypsi Patnaik & Mohanty, 1969
    1. Host: Gyps bengalensis (Indian white-backed vulture - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Patnaik & Mohanty 1969
    3. This is probably an Isospora sp. from another bird that was ingested by the vulture

  16. Isospora scholtysecki Rachmatullina & Svanbaev, 1971
    1. Hosts: Accipiter nisus (European sparrow hawk - Accipiteridae), Falco naumanni (Lesser kestrel - Falconidae )
    2. Reference: Rachmatullina & Svanbaev 1971
    3. This is probably an Isospora sp. from another bird that was ingested by the vulture

  17. Isospora sp. of Faust & Pappas, 1977
    1. Host: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald eagle - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Mathey 1966
    3. This is probably a Sarcocystis sp. and not a valid isosporan

  1. "Intestinal coccidia"
    1. Host: Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald eagle - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Coon et al. 1969; Reichel et al. 1969

  2. Unknown coccidian of Gottschalk, 1972
    1. Host: Buteo buteo (Common buzzard - Accipitridae)
    2. Reference: Gottschalk 1972
    3. This may simply have been a pseudoparasite ingested by the hawk

References

Bhatia, B.B., Pande, B.P., and Garg, R.K. 1970. Coccidian infection of the Pariah kite. Indian Journal of Microbiology 10: 49-52.

Coon, N.C., Locke, L.N., Cromartie, E., and Reichel, W.L. 1970. Causes of bald eagle mortality, 1960-1965. Journal of Wilflife Diseases 6: 72-76.

Faust, B.S., and P.W. Pappas. 1977. A survey of coccidia and helminth paraistes of birds at the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo. Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine 8: 18-23.

Galli-Valerio, B. 1935. Parasitologische Untersuchungen und parasitologische Techik. Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde und Infektionskrankheiten Hygiene. Abteilung I. Originale. 135: 318-327.

Gottschalk, C. 1972. Beitrag zur Faunistik der Vogelkokzidien Thuringens und Sachsens. Beitraege zur Vogelkunde, Leipzig, 18: 61-69.

Henry, D. 1932. Isospora buteonis sp. nov. from the hawk and owl, and notes on Isospora lacazii (Labbe) in birds. University of California Publications in Zoology 37: 291-299.

Holling, J., and Fowle, C.D. 1955. Isospora buteonis Henry in the goshawk (Accipiter gentalis). Journal of Parasitology 41: 638-639.

Huber, E. 1964. Die Endoparasiten von Vogelen des Munchner Tierparks Hellabrunn unter besonderer Berucksichtigung der jahreszeitlichen Schwankungen in der Wurmausscheidung. PhD dissertation, Universitat Munchen, Munich. 45 pp.

Markus, M.B., and Mundy, P.J. 1979. Intestinal Sarcocystis infection in vultures and its significance. Parasitology 79: 39.

Mathey, W.J. 1966. Isospora buteonis Henry 1932 in an American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Bulletin of the Wildlife Disease Association 2: 20-22.

Patnaik, M.M. and Mohanty, D.N. 1969. Isospora gypsi n. sp. a new coccidian from the Indian vulture (Gyps bengalensis). Current Science 38: 316.

Rakhamullina, N.K. and Svanaev, S.K. 1971. Some data on the coccidia in wild birds in Kazhakistan. Akademaii Nauk Kazhakskoii SSR, Trudy Instituta Zoologii 31: 171-177.

Reichel, W.L., Lamont, T.G., Cromartie, E., and Locke, L.N. 1969. Residues in two bald eagles suspected of pesticide poisoning. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 4: 24-30.

Schwalbach, G. 1959. Untersuchungen und Beobachtungen an Coccidien der Gattungen Eimeria, Isospora und Caryospora bei Vogeln mit einer Beschreibung von Sechzehn neuen Arten. Archiv fur Protistenkunde 104: 431-491.

Upton, S.J., Campbell, T.W., Weigel, M., and McKown, R.D. 1990. The Eimeriidae (Apicomplexa) of raptors: review of the literature and description of new species of the genera Caryospora and Eimeria. Canadian Journal of Zoology 68: 1256-1265.