Inventaire des parasites de Pigeon biset (Colomba livia) nicheur dans la wilaya de Ghardaïa

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the main parasites that can infect nesting feral pigeons (Columba livia) in the Entissa, Thenia, and the university area located in the Ghardaïa region (Algeria), over a period of five months, from January to May 2023. To achieve our goal, we conducted a survey of nests in different areas. We also conducted a count of nestlings and adults, as well as collected fecal samples. During this period, we collected various parasites found on the nestlings and adult pigeons. Once the nestlings had left, we took their nests to the laboratory for examination to detect the presence of ectoparasites. Additionally, we performed microscopic analysis on the fecal samples. The study of parasites of feral pigeons (Columba livia) and their nests revealed the presence of various species of parasites, as well as other non-parasitic organisms, showing seasonal variations related to the breeding period. The inventory of pigeon parasites and their nests shows the presence, with varying proportions, of a parasitic and non-parasitic faunal population, with a total of three parasitic species (Columbicola columbae, Campanulotes compar, and Stenepteryx hirundinis), where the most abundant species on the pigeons' bodies is Campanulotes compar, and the non-parasitic population is primarily represented, in the nests, by the order Coleoptera. The internal parasites found in the feces of feral pigeons belong to the phylum Nematoda, both in their adult and larval stages.