Abstract
Haemosporidians (phylum Apicomplexa, order Haemosporida) are a diverse group of parasites that infect terrestrial vertebrates worldwide. Avian haemosporidians (genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) are capable of circumventing ecological and evolutionary barriers to colonize new host species and geographic regions making this group of blood parasites an excellent model in mac…