La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	"Bug-eggs" for Common Swifts and other small birds: minimally-invasive and stress-free blood sampling during incubation
Auteurs :	Christina Bauch, Auteur ; Arndt H. J. Wellbrock, Auteur ; Rolf Nagel, Auteur ; Jan Rozman, Auteur ; Klaudia Witte, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Journal of Ornithology (154(2) APR 2013)
Article en page(s) :	581-585
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	The use of haematophagous bugs (Triatominae) for minimally-invasive blood sampling has increasingly gained interest. We developed a small bug-containing dummy egg (size: 25 x 19 [mm]) for stress-free blood sampling during incubation in Common Swifts (Apus apus) and potentially even smaller bird species. Our design expands on an application of a method previously used successfully on larger birds. In our study, 40 % of blood-sampling attempts were successful. Success was highest in the early breeding season, higher at noon than later in the day and unaffected by nest infestation with ectoparasitic louse-flies (Crataerina pallida). We recommend this method for blood-sampling birds without trapping during the sensitive period of incubation and encourage its application in small bird species.

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