Unraveling the Diversity of Haemosporidians in Brazilian Non-Passerine Birds: Insights from Midwestern Brazil

Avian haemosporidians have been widely studied because they provide important insights into parasite distribution and diversity. However, most available data come from passerines, resulting in gaps regarding other bird groups, primarily due to the difficulty of sampling non-passerines in natural environments. Thus, we aimed to detect infections caused by <i>Plasmodium</i> spp. and <i>Haemoproteus</i> spp. through molecular and morphological analyses of blood samples from non-passerine birds in Midwestern Brazil. We evaluated 344 individuals from 60 species across 16 non-passerine orders. Among them, 18.89% (<i>n</i> = 65) were infected with haemosporidians. Molecular analyses identified four <i>Plasmodium</i> species: <i>P. nucleophilum</i>, which was detected in a broad range of host species; <i>P. juxtanucleare</i>, detected in <i>Gallus gallus</i>; <i>P. paranucleophilum</i>, found to infect <i>Rupornis magnirostris</i>; and <i>P. elongatum</i> in <i>Mustelirallus albicollis</i>. Additionally, an undescribed <i>Plasmodium</i> lineage was detected in <i>Nycticorax nycticorax</i>. We also identified four new <i>Haemoproteus</i> lineages infecting <i>Patagioenas picazuro</i>, <i>Asio clamator</i>, <i>Athene cunicularia</i>, and <i>Tyto furcata</i>. Additionally, the haplotype previously described in <i>Mycteria americana</i> was detected once more in this host. By revealing new lineages and expanding knowledge of parasite biodiversity, this study underscores the importance of non-passerine hosts and the need for further research on their evolutionary and host-parasite relationships.