Collecting information on disease and parasites from wild pheasants.

Abstract

Remarkably little is known about disease in wild birds but evidence is increasing to suggest that disease can have important effects on bird populations, and especially on small, isolated ones. Disease can also be a problem in captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. There is an urgent need, therefore, to increase our basic knowledge of the diseases and parasites that are found under natural and captive conditions. This will help us to cope better with some of the disease problems pheasants already have, and, hopefully prevent some future disasters.

Scientists studying pheasants and other galliforms in the wild often have unique opportunities to collect samples form live birds that are caught for marking or other purposes. Much information can be collected with very little effort, from both the birds and from their fresh faeces.

In this paper I concentrate on demonstrating or illustrating simple field techniques. More information and references can be found in Hillgarth & Cooper (1989) and Cooper & Hillgarth (1989).