Study of African birds reveals hotbed of malaria parasite diversity

Date:

April 13, 2015

Source:

Drexel University

Summary:

Among hundreds of birds sampled during two months of field work in the southeastern African nation of Malawi, an astonishing proportion of the birds -- 79 percent -- were infected with haemosporidian parasites. Even more surprising, 81 percent of the parasites were previously undocumented lineages. Studying birds and their parasites provides insight into how lifestyle characteristics of birds can influence their association with different parasite genera.

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Lovebird population threatened by poisoning

Presented by

Michelle Douglass

Almost a third of the Lilian’s lovebird population in Liwonde National Park, Malawi, is at risk of being poisoned each year, scientists have said.

Illegal waterhole poisoning caused the deaths of five to 50 of the birds every year from 2000 to 2012, according to reports collected for a new study.

Researchers from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa said that hunters poison water pools to kill larger animals for food.

But the activity also affects other species such as Lilian’s lovebirds.

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