Avian malaria or bird malaria has been linked to significant declines in captive and wild birds, such as penguins and Hawaiian forest birds. Common blood parasites, like Plasmodium that spread through mosquitoes and Haemoproteus that are transmitted through louse flies and biting midges, cause the disease in birds.

Higher altitudes have lower levels of oxygen, and hence animals living at such altitudes have to adapt. Having higher content of haemoglobin is one adaptation strategy used. In a recent study, scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, explore how blood parasite affect these high altitude birds.