摘要：AbstractDespite the ecological importance and social popularity of falcons, many elements of their biology remain unknown, including the variety of parasites that infect them in the wild and in captivity. Some of these are from the common alveolate genusHaemoproteus, which parasitise birds worldwide. We investigated the genetic diversity ofHaemoproteus tinnunculiinfecting the captive saker falcons (Falco cherrug) to describe their phylogenetic relationships. The overall prevalence ofH.tinnunculicollected between December 2018 and February 2020 was 4.53% (58/1280). A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochromebgene ofH. tinnunculiwas amplified from fifty-eight blood samples. Our findings indicate that two lineages ofH.tinnunculiinfect falcons in Saudi Arabia, one of which is reported here for the first time. These findings will inform the future investigation of phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity ofHaemoproteusparasites in falcons.
