Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 97-103 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2004 |
Keywords
- northern goshawk
- Accipiter gentilis
- adendritic melanocytes
- congenital neuropathy
- hereditary disease
- inbreeding depression
- MUTATION