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.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 March 2004
CONGENITAL NEUROPATHY AND DILUTION OF FEATHER MELANIN IN NESTLINGS OF URBAN-BREEDING NORTHERN GOSHAWKS (ACCIPITER GENTILIS)
Christian Rutz,
Axel Zinke,
Thomas Bartels,
Peter Wohlsein
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Vol. 35 • No. 1
March 2004
Vol. 35 • No. 1
March 2004
Accipiter gentilis
adendritic melanocytes
congenital neuropathy
hereditary disease
inbreeding depression
northern goshawk