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Article History

Received: 30 June 2025

Accepted: 2 December 2025

First Online: 17 December 2025

Declarations

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: This study utilized non-experimental animals. The best practices of veterinary clinical care were consistently followed. Where applicable, ethical approvals are stated in the manuscript. Informed consent (verbal or written) was obtained from the owners or legal custodians of all animals described in this work (experimental or non-experimental animals, including cadavers) for all procedures (prospective or retrospective studies). No animals or people are identifiable within this publication; therefore, additional informed consent for publication was not required.All procedures involving wild birds, including peripheral blood sampling, were carried out in full compliance with relevant international, European, and national regulations governing the ethical use of animals in scientific research. In particular, the study adhered to the provisions of Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of September 22 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, as well as the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (ETS No. 123).In accordance with Polish national legislation, specifically the Act of January 15 2015 on the protection of animals used for scientific or educational purposes (Journal of Laws 2015, item 266), peripheral blood collection from free-living wild birds, performed without significant harm, lasting impact, or housing of animals, is not classified as a procedure requiring prior approval by an institutional animal ethics committee. To ensure full compliance and transparency, formal inquiries were submitted to two independent institutional animal ethics committees. Both confirmed in writing that, under the current Polish legal framework and the scope of the proposed research activities, no ethical approval was required. Written confirmations of exemption from ethical approval were received from the Animal Ethics Committees at Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences (opinion from 04.09.2019) and Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, reference number 14/2025.Furthermore, all biodiversity and conservation-related legal requirements were met. In the case of species subject to national protection, relevant permissions were obtained from the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOS), pursuant to the Nature Conservation Act of April 16, 2004 (Journal of Laws 2004, No. 92, item 880, as amended).The research design and reporting followed the ARRIVE 2.0 (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines to ensure rigor, reproducibility, and ethical accountability. All efforts were made to minimize time and stress, and blood volumes were kept within safe physiological limits. The study was conducted in accordance with the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement), and no procedures involved endangered species or the long-term captivity of animals.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.