Causes of bird losses recorded in a captive-bred wild bird flock between 2011 and 2015

• Main Authors: Luiz Gustavo Schneider de Oliveira, Gustavo Pistelli Lipinski, Marina Paula Lorenzett, Verônica Machado Rolim, Sandra Márcia Tietz Marques, David Driemeier, Cláudio Estêvão Farias Cruz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
• Series: Ciência Rural
• Subjects: causas de morte de aves; Leiothrix lutea; Callipepla californica; Tauraco livingstonii; faisões Polyplectron sp
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-84782017000500553&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT: This study discusses the causes of bird deaths recorded in a small aviary dedicated to the breeding of a few exotic, wild bird species. Findings from 28 birds were examined over a period of five years. About 40% of the deaths occurred in the first two weeks after hatching in the two most numerous species in the flock and such losses were mainly a result of starvation caused by inadequate nutritional management. Additionally, 28% of the cases affected recently introduced birds. Despite frequent treatment with anthelmintics; a total of 21% of the deaths in the flock could be attributed to parasitic diseases, most of them in recently acquired birds. Only three of the deaths could be associated with advanced age, all of the further cases were also attributable to management fails. Our results indicated that propagation of these and other species requires an improvement of the management of the newly hatched and newcomer birds to considerably enhance the flock’s performance. Such information may be useful in conservation initiatives and may justify, at least in part, captivity of these animals.