Table 2. Classification of helminth taxa collected from owls in Calabria (C), southern Italy, and Galicia (G), northwest Spain, according to host specificity.
| Helminth taxon | Hostrecords1 | Geographical distribution | Specialist | Owls specialist | Birds of preys specialist | Raptor generalist | Bird generalist | No. hosts species infected | IH/PH |
| Centrorhynchus aluconis | A: Ag, Ar, Bb, Bl, Ca, Cc, Ha, Mmi | Europe, Asia | x | 4 (C) | Orthopterans, terrestrial isopods/small mammals, reptiles | ||||
| F: Fn, Ft | |||||||||
| S: Ao, Bbu, Os, Sa, Sur | |||||||||
| C. clitorideus | S: Ab, An, Os, Ta | Europe, Asia | x | 1 (C) | Orthopterans, terrestrial isopods/small mammals, reptiles | ||||
| C. globocaudatus | A: Ag, Apo, Bb, Bl, Br, Ca, Cc,Cp, Mm | Europe, Asia, Africa | x | 1 (C) 3 (G) | Orthopterans, terrestrial isopods/small mammals, reptiles | ||||
| F: Fa, Fc, Fn, Fp, Ft, Fv | |||||||||
| S: Af, Ao, An, Gp, Ns, Sa, Ta | |||||||||
| Capillaria falconis | A: Ag, An, Apo, At, Bb, Bj, Bl, Bli, Ha, Hl, Ph | Europe, Asia, North America | x | 1 (C) | Earthworms | ||||
| F: Fs, Ft | |||||||||
| S: Aa, Af, Ao, An, Bbu, Bv, Sa, So, Sv | |||||||||
| C. tenuissima | A: Ag, An, Bb, Bl, Cp, Ha, Mc, Mm, Mmi | Europe, Asia, South America | x | 4 (G) | Earthworms | ||||
| F: Ft | |||||||||
| S: Af, Afu, Ao, An, Bbu, Bv, Ns, Osu, Sa, Su, Sv, Ta | |||||||||
| Excisa excisiformis | S: Ao, Bv, Oa, Os, Sv | Europe, Asia, North America | x | 1 (C) | ? | ||||
| Hamatospiculum sp.2 | x? | 1 (C) | ? | ||||||
| Heterakis gallinarum | In at least 6 bird orders | x | 1 (C) | Direct (facultative: earthworms and houseflies) | |||||
| Dispharynx nasuta | In at least 10 bird orders | x | 3 (C) | Terrestrial isopods | |||||
| Porrocaecum spirale | A: Cp, | Europe, Asia, North America | x | 1 (C) | Small mammals, reptiles | ||||
| F: Ft | |||||||||
| S: Af, Afu, Ao, An, Bb, Bv, Ns, Sa, Su, Sur, Ta | |||||||||
| P. angusticolle | S: Ac, Ach, Ag, An, Apo, Ar, As, Bb, Bj, Bl, Bp, Ca, Cc, Cg, Ec, Ha, Hi, Mm, Mmi, Pa, Ph | Europe, Asia, North America | x | 2 (G) | Earthworms/insectivors | ||||
| F: Fb, Fc, Fn, Fp, Fs Ft | |||||||||
| S: Ao, Ta | |||||||||
| Procyrnea leptoptera | A: Ag, An, Bb, Bm, Bme, Bb, Gc, Hd, Mm, Mmi, Pa | Europe, Asia, South America | x | 1 (G) | Orthopterans, coleopterans | ||||
| F: Fs, Fsp, Fn, Ft, Mc, Pp | |||||||||
| S: Ta | |||||||||
| Skrjabinura spiralis | In at least 5 bird orders | x | 1 (C) | ? | |||||
| Subulura sp.3 | x? | 2 (C) | ? | ||||||
| Synhimantus affinis | S: Af, Ao, Bbu, Bv,Ta | Europe, North America | x | 4 (C) | Terrestrial isopods, odonates, dermapterans/lizards? | ||||
| S. laticeps | A: An, Ap, Bb, Bl, Ca, Cc, Cg, Cp, Mm, Mmi, Np, Pa | Europe, Asia, North America | x | 3 (C) 3 (G) | Terrestrial isopods, odonates, dermapterans/lizards? | ||||
| F: Fc, Fco, Fn, Fp, Fs, Ft | |||||||||
| S: Af, Ao, Bbu, Bv, Sa, Ta | |||||||||
| Brachylaima fuscatum | In at least 8 bird orders | x | 3 (C) | Terrestrial snails | |||||
| Neodiplostomum japonicum | S: Ao, Bbu | Italy, Japan | x | 3 (C) | Freshwater snails, amphibians, reptiles (?) | ||||
| N. attenuatum | A: Aco, Ag, As, Bb, Bj, Bli, Bp, Ca, Ef, Hl, Mm | x | 4 (G) | Freshwater snails, amphibians, reptiles | |||||
| S: Sa, Su | |||||||||
| Skrjabinus sp. | x | 1 (C) | Terrestrial mollusks, arthropods | ||||||
| Strigea falconis | A: Ac, Ach, Aco, Ag, Ah, Am, An, Ap, As, Apo, Ar, Bb, Bj, Bl, Bp, Cg, Ca, Cc, Cm, Cme, Cp, Ha, Mm, Mmi, Np, Ph, Pa, Te | Europe, Asia, America, Africa | x | 1 (G) | Aquatic snails, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals | ||||
| F: Fb, Fc, Fco, Fn, Fp, Fs, Fsp, Ft, Fv | |||||||||
| S: Af,Ao, Bbu, Bv, Sa, Su, Sv, Ta | |||||||||
| Choanotaenia littoriae | S: An | Italy | x | 1 (C) | Insects | ||||
| Paruterina candelabraria | S: Ao, Bv, Ns, Os, Sa, Su | Europe, North America | x | 1 C, 1 G | Insects, rodents | ||||
| Passerilepis stylosa | Typical from Passeriformes | x | 1 C | Insects |
Classification is based on global records of host species for each helminth taxon ([63], [64], [65], [66], [67], [68] and references detailed in the text); data about the geographical distribution of helminth taxa typical from raptors is also listed. Specificity categories are defined in the text. For each helminth taxon, information is also provided about its known or putative intermediate/paratenic hosts (IH/PH) and the number of owl species it infects in Calabria and/or Galicia.
Host species abbreviations:
Accipitriformes (A): Ac: Aquila clanga; Ach, Aquila chrysaetos; Aco, Accipiter cooperi; Ag, Accipiter gentilis; Agu, Accipiter gularis; Ah, Aquila heliaca; Am, Aegypius monachus; An, Accipiter nisus; Ap, Aquila pennata; Apo, Aquila pomarina; Ar, Aquila rapax; As, Accipiter striatus; At, Accipiter trivirgatus; Bb, Buteo buteo; Bj, Buteo jamaicensis; Bl, Buteo lagopus; Bli, Buteo lineatus; Bm, Buteo magnirostris; Bme, Buteogallus meridionalis; Bp, Buteo platypterus; Br, Buteo rufinus; Ca, Circus aeruginosus; Cc, Circus cyaneus; Cg, Circaetus gallicus; Cm, Circus macrourus; Cme: Circus melanoleucos; Cp, Circus pygargus; Ec, Elanius caeruleus; Ef, Elanoides furficatus; Gc, Geranospiza caerulescens; Ha, Haliaeetus albicilla; Hd, Harpagus diodon; Hi, Haliastur indus; Hl, Haliaeetus leucophalus; Mc, Milvago chimango; Mm, Milvus milvus; Mmi, Milvus migrans; Np: Neophron percnopterus; Pa, Pernis apivorus; Ph, Pandion haliaetus; Te, Theratopius ecaudatus.
Falconiformes (F): Fa: Falco ardosiaceus; Fb, Falco biarmicus; Fc, Falco cherrug; Fco, Falco columbarius; Fn, Falco naumanni; Fp, F. peregrinus; Fs, Falco subbuteo; Fsp, Falco sparverius; Fr: Falco rufigularis; Ft, F. tinnunculus; Fv, Falco vespertinus; Mc, Milvago chimachima; Pp, Polyborus plancus.
Strigiformes (S): Aa, Aegolius acadicus; Ab, Athene brama; Af, Asio flammeus; Afu, Aegolius funereus; An, Athene noctua; Ao, Asio otus; Bbu, Bubo bubo; Bv: Bubo virginianus; Gp, Glaucidium passerinum; Ns, Nyctea scandiaca; Oa: Otus asio; Os, Otus scops; Osu, Otus sunia; Sa, Strix aluco; So, Strix occidentalis; Su, Surnia ulula; Sur, Strix uralensis; Sv, Strix varia; Ta, Tyto alba.
Most species are typical from birds of prey.
Two species are specific to owls.