Age-related plasma chemistry changes in houbara and kori bustards in the United Arab Emirates

Plasma chemistry parameters were measured in adult (>1.5 yr) and juvenile (4-8 and 9-16 wk) captive houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii) and from adult (>1.5 yr) and juvenile (4-3, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32, 33-40 and 41-52 wk) captive kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) to study age-related changes. A comparison of the values obtained was made between adult and juvenile bustards of both species and from the literature with other bustard species. Significant differences between adult and juvenile bustards of bath species were found for glucose, total protein, alkaline phasphatase (ALKP), aspartate amino transferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase, and calcium. Some parameters, such as calcium, showed comparable age-related changes in bath species. In contrast, other parameters showed clear differences in the type (ALT, AST) or magnitude (ALKP) of age related change between the species, demonstrating the importance of determining normal values for individual species. The results obtained from this study provide blood chemistry values for these species and demonstrate age-related differences between adult and juvenile birds.