| Haemosporidians, protozoan blood parasites that cause malaria-like disease, have been studied in many wild bird populations throughout the world. However, no basic prevalence studies have been done on woodpeckers in the western United States. One genus of haemosporidian parasites that is commonly found in woodpeckers is Leucocytozoon, which is spread by blackflies. It was previously thought that species of Leucocytozoon are order-specific. Here we test the hypothesis that woodpeckers, which share habitats with many passerine birds, are exposed to and harbor their common blood parasites. Blood samples were taken from 138 individuals, both juveniles and adults, of six different species of woodpeckers. Analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and the morphology of infected white blood cells indicate these woodpeckers were infected with L. sarkharoffi or L. berestneffi, which had previously been found only in corvids. The distinction between these two species of Leucocytozoon is under review. Four distinct lineages were found in juvenile and adult northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) and in one juvenile black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus). This is the strongest conclusive evidence of a haemosporidian in the genus Leucocytozoon infecting birds from different orders. |