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Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Blow fly Trypocalliphora braueri parasitism on Meadow Pipit and Bluethroat nestlings in Central Europe

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2008
Authors:Pavel, V, Chutný, B, Petrusková, T, Petrusek, A
Journal:Journal of Ornithology
Volume:149
Issue:2
Date Published:2008
ISBN Number:2193-7192
Keywords:Anthus, Anthus pratensis, Cyanecula svecica, Cyanosylvia svecica, Erithacus svecicus, Europe, Luscinia, Luscinia svecica, Motacillidae, Muscicapidae
Abstract:The larvae of blow fly ( Trypocalliphora braueri ) are known to cause a subcutaneous myiasis in bird nestlings mainly in Nearctic species, while only a few records are available from the Palaearctic. Here, we report on infestations of this insect ectoparasite in two passerine species, Meadow Pipit ( Anthus pratensis ) and Bluethroat ( Luscinia svecica ), breeding in the Central European mountain range Krkonoše. The infestation of T. braueri parasite was relatively low in studied bird species (3.0% of infested nests in Meadow Pipit and 4.2% in Bluethroat) but varied strongly between years (0–33% of infested nests/year/species). The presence of the parasitic blow fly larvae was apparently controlled by temperature; they were found only during warm summers. The combination of parasite infection and heavy rainfalls in a critical period significantly reduced nestling survival.
URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0259-5
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