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1 July 2005 Skeletal Injuries of Passerines Caused by Road Traffic
Grzegorz Orłowski, Jan siembieda
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Radiographic examination of 35 birds (17 species) killed on roads revealed bone injuries in 17 (47%) cases. There were 30 different kinds of injuries to the skeletal system. In 29 cases these fractures concerned the long bones of the wings (n = 15) and the lower extremities (n = 14). One bird had a dislocated spinal column. Wing fractures affected the humerus (n = 6), radius (n = 6) and ulna (n = 3), while leg fractures affected the femur (n = 5), tibiotarsus (n = 8) and tarsometatarsus (n = 1). No relationship was found between the body weight and the location and number of bone injuries. In our opinion, the nature and type of skeletal injuries suggest that they were not the direct cause of death.

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Grzegorz Orłowski and Jan siembieda "Skeletal Injuries of Passerines Caused by Road Traffic," Acta Ornithologica 40(1), 15-19, (1 July 2005). https://doi.org/10.3161/068.040.0106
Received: 1 December 2004; Accepted: 1 March 2005; Published: 1 July 2005
KEYWORDS
avian injuries
bone fractures
radiological analysis
road-kills
small passerines
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