CONGENITAL NEUROPATHY AND DILUTION OF FEATHER MELANIN IN NESTLINGS OF URBAN-BREEDING NORTHERN GOSHAWKS (ACCIPITER GENTILIS)

A pair of northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) breeding in a public park in the city center of Hamburg, Germany, raised 12 healthy and five aberrant offspring between 1996 and 2000. Aberrant nestlings (three males and two females) had pale silver-blue plumage and displayed severe locomotor disorde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Main Authors: Christian Rutz, Axel Zinke, Thomas Bartels, Peter Wohlsein
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: American Association of Zoo Veterinarians 2004
Subjects:
Accipiter gentilis
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1638/02-031.1
Description
Summary:A pair of northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) breeding in a public park in the city center of Hamburg, Germany, raised 12 healthy and five aberrant offspring between 1996 and 2000. Aberrant nestlings (three males and two females) had pale silver-blue plumage and displayed severe locomotor disorders. Histopathologically, the defects were characterized by adendritic feather melanocytes and mild degeneration of the cerebellar white matter. Epidemiologic results were suggestive of a hereditary autosomal recessive defect, which may have originated from close inbreeding during the foundation of Hamburg's urban population of northern goshawks.

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