Isolation and characterization of bacteria residing in the oral, gut, and fecal samples of different pheasant species

There is a paucity of research conducted on microbial prevalence in pheasants. The microbiota of captive birds has zoonotic significance and must be characterize. Present study is therefore planned to assess the microbiota from oral, fecal and gut content of captive avian species. It will be helpful in characterization of harmful microbes. Different samples taken from oral, gut and feces of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), green pheasants (Phasianus versicolor), golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) and silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera). Samples were collected, diluted, and inoculated onto different agar plates (MacConkey, SS agar, MSA and nutrient agar) for cultivation of bacterial species. Colonies of E.coli, Staphylococcus spp. Brachyspira spp. and Campylobacter spp were observed based on colony morphology. Colony forming unit showed E. coli as frequently found bacteria in fecal, oral and gut contents of all the above pheasants. The overall significance difference was found among bacterial species of golden pheasants, green pheasant, ring-necked pheasant, and silver pheasants. It was concluded that E.coli is predominant isolated from heathy pheasants followed by Campylobacter, Staphylococcus and Brachyspira.

Hot-headed peckers: thermographic changes during aggression among juvenile pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus )

In group-living vertebrates, dominance status often covaries with physiological measurements (e.g. glucocorticoid levels), but it is unclear how dominance is linked to dynamic changes in physiological state over a shorter, behavioural timescale. In this observational study, we recorded spontaneous aggression among captive juvenile pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) alongside infrared thermographic measurements of their external temperature, a non-invasive technique previously used to examine stress responses in non-social contexts, where peripheral blood is redirected towards the body core. We found low but highly significant repeatability in maximum head temperature, suggesting individually consistent thermal profiles, and some indication of lower head temperatures in more active behavioural states (e.g. walking compared to resting). These individual differences were partly associated with sex, females being cooler on average than males, but unrelated to body size. During pairwise aggressive encounters, we observed a non-monotonic temperature change, with head temperature dropping rapidly immediately prior to an attack and increasing rapidly afterwards, before returning to baseline levels. This nonlinear pattern was similar for birds in aggressor and recipient roles, but aggressors were slightly hotter on average. Our findings show that aggressive interactions induce rapid temperature changes in dominants and subordinates alike, and highlight infrared thermography as a promising tool for investigating the physiological basis of pecking orders in galliforms. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies’.

Optimization of a Protocol for the Cryopreservation of Sperm in Pellets for the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus mongolicus)

The sperm of each avian species and breed have unique characteristics that render them more or less susceptible to the freezing–thawing process; therefore, a suitable cryopreservation protocol that is specific for the sperm of each type of bird is needed. In this context, little information about the common pheasant’s sperm is available. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test different parameters at each step of the process of freezing into pellets and thawing to detect the least deleterious parameter settings. Sixteen different protocols were tested by studying two levels in each of the four steps (dilution, equilibration at 5 °C, final dimethylacetamide concentration, and dimethylacetamide equilibration time) comprising the freezing process. The pheasant sperm exhibited a high susceptibility to the damage caused by freezing into pellets; however, the survival of the sperm reached 29%, and the greatest recovered mobility was 22%. The mobility of the sperm was affected by the dilution and the dimethylacetamide concentration, and the viability of the sperm was affected by the equilibration at 5 °C and the dimethylacetamide equilibration. The protocols that caused the least damage to the pheasant sperm were found to be those with higher dilution rates, 10 minutes of equilibration at 5 °C, and 6% dimethylacetamide equilibrated for 1 or 5 minutes. In the present study, we individualise some applicable parameters for certain critical steps of the freezing–thawing process; however, further investigations are needed in order to improve upon and complete a suitable protocol for the cryopreservation and thawing of pheasant sperm.

Seroprevalences of specific antibodies against avian pathogens in free-ranging ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in Northwestern Germany

Infectious diseases in captive pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are well known, but there is a lack of knowledge about occurrence and distribution of pathogens in free-ranging pheasants in Germany. We investigated 604 sera from hunted pheasants and 152 sera from wild caught pheasants between 2011 to 2015, with the aim to determine the prevalence of specific antibodies against different viruses: Avian influenza virus (AIV) of subtypes H5, H7, H9, paramyxovirus type 1 (PMV-1), avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV), infectious bursitis disease virus (IBDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and Salmonella sp., Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). In addition, 178 caeca were investigated for Histomonas meleagridis. The study reveals an ongoing circulation of IBV in the wild pheasant population during the study. Also high seroprevalences of specific antibodies against aMPV depending on the area and a strong increase in prevalence of IBDV antibodies in sera of pheasants in Lower Saxony were detected. ILTV antibody prevalences differed between areas and AEV antibody detection differed between years significantly, whereas specific antibodies against PMV-1 could not be detected and antibodies against AIV-H5, -H7 and -H9 and Mycoplasma spp. were detected in very few cases.

How many gamebirds are released in the UK each year?

Large numbers of gamebirds (pheasants Phasianus colchicus, red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa and mallard Anus platyrhynchos) are released annually in the UK to support recreational shooting. It is important to know how many of these birds are being released because their release and management has ecological effects on the wildlife and habitats of the UK. There is little regulation governing their release, and consequently, an accurate figure for the numbers being released is unknown. I took 12 different approaches, totalling 4329 estimates of the numbers of birds being released annually, based on a series of datasets that described numbers of birds being held for breeding, rearing or release, being released, managed or shot on game shoots, being shot by individual guns or being recorded during breeding bird surveys. These 12 approaches produced estimates ranging from 14.7 to 106.1 million with a mean of 43.2 million (95% CI 29.0–57.3 million). This suggests that 31.5 million pheasants (range 29.8–33.7 million), 9.1 million red-legged partridges (range 5.6–12.5 million) and 2.6 million mallard (range 0.9–6.0 million) are released annually in the UK. These figures differ substantially from both official records of gamebirds and previous published estimates, and I discuss why such differences may occur. I set these figures in the context of the number and behaviour of shoots operating in the UK. Improved estimates of numbers of gamebird being released are critical if we are to better understand the ecological effects occurring in areas where they are released and managed.

Role of the glutathione redox system in the susceptibility of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) to ochratoxin A

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of different dietary concentrations of ochratoxin A (OTA) on the growth, feed intake, mortality, blood plasma protein content and some parameters of lipid peroxidation and the glutathione redox system of pheasant chicks in a three-week long trial. A total of 320 seven-day-old female pheasants were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 40 in each), fed with a diet artificially contaminated with OTA [control (<0.02 mg/kg), 0.88 mg/kg, 1.14 mg/kg and 1.51 mg/kg] for 21 days (up to 28 days of age). The pheasant chicks were sacrificed at early (12, 24 and 72 h) and late (7, 14 and 21 days) stages of mycotoxin exposure to check the effect of OTA. Minimal feed refusal was found in the medium- and high-dose toxin groups (–9.8 and –7.9%, respectively), and body weight gain was nearly the same in all groups. The glutathione redox system was activated mainly in the liver, confirmed by significantly increased reduced glutathione content and glutathione peroxidase activity during the late phase of mycotoxin exposure and at a high-dose treatment. The results suggest that pheasants have low susceptibility to OTA, and activation of the glutathione redox system has importance in this tolerance.