Metabolic bone diseases in a wild crab-eating hawk and a caboclo hawk in Paraiba

Abstract

The amount of research on metabolic bone diseases in commercial birds is considerable, however, there is a large gap in the knowledge of these diseases in wild birds. Aspects related to diet are the main factors that cause these diseases, such as: vitamin D deficiency, insufficient calcium intake, or imbalance of calcium and phosphorus in the diet, and problems in the absorption and metabolism of these compounds. This study reports two cases of bone diseases in birds of the order Accipitriformes, which are wild in the state of Paraíba, a crab-eating hawk with rickets, and a caboclo hawk with fibrous osteodystrophy. The diagnosis in both cases was based on macroscopic and microscopic findings. These reports are subsidies for the bird clinic of the order Accipitriformes and for the maintenance of these birds in nurseries and zoos. This study demonstrates the need for further studies to assess whether such cases can be used as indicators of environmental imbalance.