Determination of Haematological Reference Values for Tucúquere (Bubo magellanicus) Habiting in Central Chile

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The tucuquere (Bubo magellanicus) is an owl inhabiting the American continent, but its current conservation status is not well known. Species-specific haematological reference values are valuable for diagnosis and prognosis in clinical veterinary and rehabilitation centres. We determined the haematological reference values from 33 samples from tucúqueres taken from zoos and rehabilitation centres in central Chile using standard laboratory techniques and reference values. The mean, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum reference limits were calculated at 95% and 97.5% error. The main results indicate lower values for white blood cell lines and not for red blood cells compared to other genetically closed owls. These results could be explained by the habitat and location and corroborate the need to obtain reference values for different ecological geographical areas. This study provides useful information for conservation medicine and zoos in Chile, but also highlights the importance of carrying out these studies in different geographical areas globally. ABSTRACT: Tucuquere (Bubo magellanicus) is an owl inhabiting Chile, which is classified as a species of agricultural interest, but its current conservation status is not well defined. The determination of previously unknown haematological ranges via laboratory techniques for species analysis is of great importance in the search for diagnoses in clinical veterinary work. Thirty-three samples from healthy tucuquere were obtained from zoos and rehabilitation centres in central Chile and analysed using standard laboratory techniques to obtain reference values that were determined according to the standard recommendations for animal species. The mean, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum reference limits were calculated at 95% and 97.5% error. These results differ from those of other studies, especially in terms of the white blood cells because most of the values were lower than those described for the species. These results could be explained by the habitat and location from which the samples were taken, and they corroborate the need to obtain reference values for different geographical areas. This study provides useful haematological values for use in conservation medicine and zoos and highlights the importance of carrying out these studies in different geographical areas for species of ecological interest.