ABSENCE OF HEMATOZOA IN A BREEDING POPULA TION OF KENTISH PLOVER CHARADRIUS-ALEXANDRINUS IN NORTHEAST SPAIN

A low presence of haematophagus parasites has been reported in arctic waders. Three hypotheses try to explain these low levels: higher inher ent resistance to parasites in the Charadrii, lower presence of parasi tes in the breeding grounds of waders in the arctic, and influence of the vegetation structure in the habitat of these birds. To test these hypotheses, we took blood samples from 87 alive-trapped Kentish Plover s Charadrius alexandrinus nesting in Northeast Spain. None of the samp les had haematophagus parasites. Therefore, very low infection rates o ccur also in a non-arctic species. These data support the hypotheses t hat Charadrii have a higher resistance or a lower probability of being infected by blood parasites than other taxa, independently of their b reeding distribution.