Haematophagous ectoparasites lower survival of and have detrimental physiological effects on golden eagle nestlings.

ABSTRACT: Haematophagous ectoparasites can directly affect the health of young animals by depleting blood volume and reducing energetic resources available for growth and development. Less is known about the effects of ectoparasitism on stress physiology (i.e. glucocorticoid hormones) or animal behaviour. Mexican chicken bugs (Haematosiphon inodorus; Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are blood-sucking ectoparasites that live in nesting material or nest substrate and feed on nestling birds. Over the past 50 years, the range of H. inodorus has expanded, suggesting that new hosts or populations may be vulnerable. We studied the physiological and behavioural effects of H. inodorus on golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nestlings in southwestern Idaho. We estimated the level of H. inodoru

SUBMITTER: Dudek BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8354271 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature