Health status and morphometrics of Galápagos magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens magnificens) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gas, and physical examination

Kimberly E Guzmán; Diane Deresienski; Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez; Ronald K Passingham; Alice Skehel; Catalina Ulloa; Cristina Regalado; Gregory A Lewbart; Carlos A Valle

doi:10.7717/peerj.18609

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Health status and morphometrics of Galápagos magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens magnificens) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gas, and physical examination

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Health status and morphometrics of Galápagos magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens magnificens) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gas, and physical examination

Kimberly E Guzmán, Diane Deresienski, Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez, Ronald K Passingham, Alice Skehel, Catalina Ulloa, Cristina Regalado, Gregory A Lewbart and Carlos A Valle

PeerJ, Vol.12, pp.1-15

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18609

PMCID: PMC11627087

PMID: 39655326

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Abstract

biochemistry

Fregata magnificens

magnificent frigatebird

Galapagos Islands

hematology

health status

physical examination

blood gas

The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens; MFB) is a widely distributed seabird. It has breeding areas in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (extending along Central America up to Baja California) (Schreiber & Burger, 2001). The Fregata magnificens magnificens (MFB-Gal) subspecies is native to the Galápagos Islands. This is the first-time hematology and blood chemistry parameters have been published for the F. m. magnificens (MFB-Gal) from the Galápagos Islands. Analysis was run on blood samples drawn from n = 16 adult MFB-Gal captured by hand at their nests at North Seymour and Daphne Major Islands in the Galápagos Islands (n = 10 MFB-Gal in June 2017 and n = 6 MFB-Gal in July 2022). There were ten female birds and six male birds in total. A portable blood analyzer (iSTAT) was used to obtain near immediate field results for total carbon dioxide (TCO2), hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), ionized calcium (iCa), total protein (TP), anion gap and glucose. Blood lactate was measured using a portable Lactate Plus™ analyzer. Average heart rate, respiratory rate, body weight, body temperature, biochemistry and hematology parameters were comparable to healthy individuals of other Fregatidae of the same species (magnificent frigatebird subspecies from Brazil, Fregata magnificens, likely F. m. rothschildi) or similar species (great frigatebird, Fregata minor, from the Galápagos Islands). There were some statistically significant differences between the males and females F. m. magnificens (MFB-Gal) in the Galápagos, including bill depth, bill width, wing length, weight, and chloride blood value. The reported results provide baseline data that can be used for comparisons among populations and in detecting changes in health status among Galápagos magnificent frigatebirds and other populations of magnificent frigatebirds.

Details

Title: Health status and morphometrics of Galápagos magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens magnificens) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gas, and physical examination
Authors: Kimberly E Guzmán - Oradell Animal Hospital (United States)
Diane Deresienski (Corresponding Author) - North Carolina State University
Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Ronald K Passingham - North Carolina State University
Alice Skehel - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Catalina Ulloa - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Cristina Regalado - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Gregory A Lewbart - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Carlos A Valle - Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Publication details: PeerJ, Vol.12, pp.1-15
Publisher: PeerJ, Ltd
Date published: 2024
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.18609
ISSN: 2167-8359
PMID: 39655326; PMC11627087
Copyright note: © 2024 Guzmán et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
Data Availability: The raw data is available in the Supplemental Files.
Grant note: This research was conducted with support of the Heska Corporation, the Galápagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences GAIAS-Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ and the Galápagos Science Center-USFQ/University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991091095502621
Output Type: Journal article

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