The Impact of Avian Haemosporidian Infection on Feather Quality and Feather Growth Rate of Migratory Passerines.

Simple Summary: Feathers are essential for a bird's flight, insulation, communication, and camouflage. They degrade over time, so birds must moult regularly. This study examined how avian haemosporidian infection and the size of the uropygial gland affect feather quality and growth rate in two migratory bird species in southwestern Spain—the house martin (Delichon urbicum) and the sand martin (Riparia riparia). We found that house martins had the highest haemosporidian infection rates, likely due to their large colony size. Infection only decreased feather quality in house martins and did not affect the feather growth rate in any of the two hirundinids. Additionally, feather growth rate was positively linked to feather quality, but only in house martins. Finally, we found no connection between the uropygial gland size and feather quality or feather growth rate. These results show, for the first time, that avian haemosporidian parasites can negatively impact the feather quality of migratory birds, thus potentially affecting their flight and survival. Further research is needed to fully understand these relationships. Bird feathers have several functions, including flight, insulation, communication, and camouflage. Since feathers degrade over time, birds need to moult regularly to maintain these functions. However, environmental factors like food scarcity, stress, and parasite infections can affect feather quality and moult speed. This study examined the impact of avian haemosporidian infection and uropygial gland volume, as well as feather quality and feather growth rate in two migratory hirundine species captured in southwestern Spain—the house martin (Delichon urbicum) and sand martin (Riparia riparia). Our findings showed that the prevalence of infection varied among species, with house martins having the highest rates, possibly due to their larger colony size. Moreover, haemosporidian infection had a different impact on each species; infected house martins exhibited lower feather quality than healthy individuals, although this outcome was not observed in sand martins. Furthermore, no effect of infection on feather growth rate was observed in both hirundinids. Additionally, feather growth rate only correlated positively with feather quality in house martins. Finally, no link was observed between uropygial gland volume and feather quality or feather growth rate in any of the species in this study. These findings highlight the effect of haemosporidian infections on the plumage of migratory birds, marking, for the first time, how avian haemosporidian infection is shown to adversely impact feather quality. Even so, further research is needed to explore these relationships more deeply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]