First Report of Capillaria contorta in the Crop of a Wild Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus): A Case Report

Capillaria contorta is a capillariid nematode of the upper digestive tract of wild and domestic birds, but reports in raptors, particularly the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), are scarce. On December ۲۰۲۴, an adult male Eurasian sparrowhawk was presented to the Clinic in poor condition, with traumatic rupture of the esophagus and crop sustained during prey consumption. Despite emergency supportive care, the bird died shortly after admission and a complete necropsy was performed. Segments of the digestive tract were collected for parasitological examination. These were processed using standard methods including fixation, graded ethanol dehydration, clearing in lactophenol, and permanent mounting. Examination was performed using stereomicroscopy and light microscopy. A single elongated nematode with a stichosome esophagus was recovered from the crop and identified morphologically as C. contorta based on adult body and spicule measurements and the presence of characteristic lemon-shaped eggs with bipolar plugs. No gross lesions attributable to parasitism were observed in the upper digestive tract. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of C. contorta from the crop of a Eurasian sparrowhawk, and illustrates that capillariid infections in raptors may be subclinical and easily overlooked. Routine parasitological examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract is recommended in necropsy and clinical evaluations of birds of prey to better define the prevalence and clinical relevance of Capillaria infections.

کلیدواژه ها:

Birds of prey ، Eurasian Sparrowhawk ، nematode ، Capillaria contorta ، Case report