Incidence of parasites in house-hold pigeons (Columba livia) from Thanjavur region

Tamileniyan, E., Jeevitha, M., Latchumikanthan, A., Veeraselvam, M., Velusamy, R., Kundave, V.R., Saravanan, M. and Narmatha, N. 2024. Incidence ofparasites in house-hold pigeons (Columba livia) from Thanjavur region. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(3): 389–393. The research focuses on the potential impact of the ecto and endo parasitic infections on the health of pigeons, as well as the associated risks to other domestic and wild avian species. In this study a total of 80 house-hold pigeons from four different locations of Thanjavur region were examined for the parasitic incidence. The incidence of ectoparasites such as Pseudolynchia canariensis (50%), Columbicola columbae (10%), Menacanthus stramineus (8.75%) and Goniodes sp., (3.75%) and endoparasites such as Capillaria sp., (10%) Ascaridia columbae (8.75%) and Raillietina sp., (5%) were reported. In addition, protozoan infections viz., Haemoproteus columbae (53.75%), Trichomonasgallinae (12.5%) and Eimeria sp., (5.6%) were identified. The findings underscore the intricate web of parasitic infections prevalent in domestic pigeons, emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing these challenges for the sustainable coexistence of diverse bird species.