The double-spurred francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus has been identified as a good candidate for future domestication due to the universal acceptability of its meat and its adaptability to anthropogenically altered environments. Therefore, in investigating the diseases to which they are susceptible, serum samples from 56 francolins in a major live-bird market (LBM) in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria, were screened for antibodies against Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) viruses. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed 25.0% and 35.7% prevalence of ND virus (NDV) antibodies, respectively, while 5.4% and 57.1% prevalence of IBD virus (IBDV) antibodies was detected by agar gel precipitation test (AGPT) and ELISA, respectively. This first report on the occurrence of NDV and IBDV antibodies in apparently healthy, unvaccinated double-spurred francolins from a LBM suggests that they were subclinically infected with either field or vaccine viruses and could thus serve as possible reservoirs of these viruses to domestic poultry. Furthermore, if they are to be domesticated for intensive rearing, a vaccination plan including ND and IBD should be developed and implemented. 1. Introduction Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) are the two most dreaded viral diseases of poultry in Nigeria as they cause severe economic losses in domestic and wild bird populations resulting from illness, reduced egg production, immunosuppression, and death following infection with pathogenic strains of their respective causative viruses. Despite efforts to prevent and control them over the years, circulation of the causative virus among free-roaming and wild birds has been reported as one of the factors responsible for the sporadic outbreaks of ND and IBD among free-roaming village chickens as well as commercial poultry flocks [1, 2]. Newcastle disease (ND) is an acute, highly contagious, rapidly spreading viral disease affecting birds of all ages [3] and is characterized in chickens by respiratory, circulatory, gastrointestinal, and nervous signs [4]. The clinical signs seen in infected birds vary widely and are dependent on viral factors like pathogenicity (which depends on virulence and tropism of the virus), host factors (species, age, and immune status), concurrent infections, route of exposure, duration and magnitude of the infection dose, and external factors such as social and environmental stress [5]. According to Docherty and Friend [6], it is capable of infecting over 230
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