Hematological Investigations of Captive Hill Mynah Gracula religiosa in Thailand

Abstract

Hematological values of Hill Mynahs were studied to determine their health or general condition. No statistically significant sex and age differences were found in blood composition except in leukocyte numbers. Red blood cell number (3.17 - 3.85 x 10⁶ mm^-3), hematocrit (46.67 - 48.60 %), hemoglobin content (13.59 - 14.32 g/dl) were not significantly different between adult and young birds in spite of the fact that female birds had smaller amount of these contents than their male counterparts whose values were lower than young birds`. Leukocyte numbers of young birds (28 x 10³ mm^-3) and of adult females (27 x 10³ mm^-3) were significantly higher than those of adult males (20 x 10³ mm^-3). Lymphocytes were the most abundant white blood cells in both adults (48%) and the young (58%). The study provides a database of hematological values of healthy captive Hill Mynahs for diagnosing and monitoring avian medical problems especially in a captive breeding project.