Five ixodid tick species including two morphotypes of Rhipicephalus turanicus on nestlings of Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) from south-eastern Bulgaria.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Birds are major hosts for many tick species (Acari: Ixodidae, Argasidae), and their role is especially important in transporting ticks over large distances along their seasonal migratory routes. Accordingly, most studies across Europe focus on the importance of avian hosts in tick dispersal, and less emphasis is laid on resident birds and their role in supporting tick life cycles. Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) exemplify the latter, but all the few studies on their tick infestation were carried out in Western Europe and even those did not involve a large sample size and did not assess infestation prevalence in natural habitats.

Methods

In this study, 320 ixodid ticks were collected from nestlings of Eurasian eagle owls during the period 2018-2020 in Bulgaria in s

SUBMITTER: Sandor AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8235848 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature