Echocardiographic and Radiographic Parameters in 20 Lesser Flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor)

Area of Science:

• Avian cardiology
• Comparative physiology
• Wildlife health

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease is a significant factor in avian mortality.
• Establishing reference cardiac parameters is essential for avian health assessment.
• Baseline cardiac data for lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) are currently lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and generate baseline cardiac measurements for lesser flamingos.
• To provide reference echocardiographic and radiographic parameters for this species.
• To identify potential associations between cardiac parameters, age, sex, and body weight.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiography and radiography were performed on 23 unsedated lesser flamingos.
• Manual restraint was used for all cardiac evaluations.
• Key cardiac dimensions, functional indices, and cardiocoelomic ratios were measured and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Reference values were established for parameters including aortic velocity, ventricular dimensions, fractional shortening, and cardiocoelomic ratio.
• No significant associations were found between cardiac parameters and age or sex (P > 0.05).
• Significant associations were observed between cardiac parameters and body weight (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first comprehensive baseline cardiac reference values for lesser flamingos.
• Body weight is a significant factor influencing cardiac measurements in this species.
• Further cardiac evaluations are recommended due to the limited sample size.