Haemoproteus columbae infection of feral pigeons in Singapore and Israel

Infection characteristics of Haemoproteus columbae in feral pigeons (Columba livia) in Singapore are compared with those in Israeli pigeons. Parasitaemia and recruitment rates of gametocytes were higher in Singapore pigeons than in those from Israel. Infection prevalence and levels of parasitaemia and recruitment did not vary among months in tropical Singapore but they did in Mediterranean Israel, with January having the lowest levels. In March and May samples from Singapore and in October samples from Israel pigeons with lower body mass had significantly higher parasitaemia. This trend could not be statistically validated in the remaining months' samples. Individual variation in body mass is suggested to be correlated with dominance position which modulates access to food, rather than with age. Parasite recruitment did not correlate significantly with body mass either in Singapore or in Israel. The prevalence of louse flies (Pseudolynchia canariensis) and abundance on individual pigeons was about the same in Singapore and Israeli samples.