Hard tick infestation of birds of prey (Aves: Accipitriformes, Strigiformes, Falconiformes) in the Western Palearctic: New data and literature review

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-04 DOI:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2026.102650

Andor Pitó , Attila D. Sándor , Márton Horváth , Szilvia Pásztory-Kovács , Boyan Milchev , Sándor Koleszár , Előd Győrig , Calin Gherman , Benedek Juhász , Lili Sztrehárszki , Attila Mórocz , Gergő Keve , Paulina Lesiczka , Tim Warbroek , Tijs J.M. van den Bosch , Nóra Takács , Jenő Kontschán , Sándor Hornok

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Tick infestation of songbirds has been extensively studied at global and regional scales but relevant data on birds of prey remain scarce and fragmentary. Raptors are of particular epidemiological relevance because their large size, wide-ranging movements and nesting habits may facilitate long-distance dispersal of ticks, and endophilic tick species (e.g. from prey animals) may even persist in their re-used nests. In this study, we aimed to compensate for the lack of comprehensive data in this context. First, more than 1800 birds of prey were examined at 61 sites in Central and South-Eastern Europe, encompassing both continental and Mediterranean climatic regions. Ticks (n = 839) were obtained from 98 birds representing 13 raptor species from three avian orders. Twelve tick species were identified, the most abundant being Rhipicephalus turanicus, Haemaphysalis concinna and Ixodes ricinus. Several previously unknown tick–host associations were revealed. Molecular-phylogenetic analysis showed that sequences of Ixodes arboricola from Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) clustered separately from other conspecific sequences, raising the possibility that Ixodes strigicola Schulze and Schlottke, 1929 is a valid species. Owls proved to be the most heavily tick-infested, particularly Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) nestlings. Endophilic and rodent-associated tick species were significantly more common on owls and on bird species nesting in cavities or buildings, whereas diurnal raptors were predominantly infested by generalist and exophilic ticks. These patterns highlight the importance of nesting ecology and prey composition in shaping tick assemblages on raptors. The results provide novel insights into tick–raptor associations, contribute new records of tick species from birds of prey, and improve our understanding of the role of raptors in tick maintenance and dispersal which appears to be particularly important in the case of cavity-nesting species. In addition to field sampling, a comprehensive database from nearly 150 published sources revealed that 32 tick species have been reported from birds of prey in the Western Palearctic to date.

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古北西部猛禽（喙形目、喙形目、隼形目）的硬蜱侵害：新资料和文献综述。

在全球和区域尺度上对鸣禽的蜱虫侵害进行了广泛的研究，但关于猛禽的相关数据仍然缺乏和零碎。猛禽具有特别的流行病学相关性，因为它们的体型大、活动范围广和筑巢习惯可能促进蜱虫的远距离传播，而嗜内蜱虫物种（例如来自猎物的蜱虫）甚至可能持续存在于它们重复使用的巢穴中。在这项研究中，我们的目的是弥补在这方面缺乏全面的数据。首先，研究人员在中欧和东南欧的61个地点检查了1800多只猛禽，这些地点包括大陆和地中海气候区。蜱（n = 839）来自3目13种猛禽的98只鸟。共鉴定出蜱类12种，数量最多的是图兰鼻头蜱、圆锥血蜱和蓖麻蜱。一些以前不为人知的蜱-宿主关联被揭示出来。分子系统发育分析表明，来自褐猫头鹰（Strix aluco）的树状Ixodes arboricola序列与其他同源序列是分开聚集的，这提高了木状Ixodes strigicola Schulze and Schlottke， 1929是一个有效物种的可能性。猫头鹰被证明是最严重的蜱虫感染，特别是欧亚鹰鸮（Bubo Bubo）的雏鸟。在猫头鹰和筑巢在洞穴或建筑物中的鸟类身上，嗜内性和啮齿动物相关的蜱类更为常见，而昼行性猛禽主要被通才性和嗜外性蜱类所感染。这些模式突出了筑巢生态和猎物组成在形成猛禽身上的蜱虫组合中的重要性。这些结果为蜱与猛禽之间的关系提供了新的见解，为猛禽的蜱类物种提供了新的记录，并提高了我们对猛禽在蜱类维持和传播中的作用的理解，这在洞穴筑巢物种的情况下尤为重要。除了实地抽样外，一个来自近150个已发表来源的综合数据库显示，迄今为止，在西古北的猛禽中报告了32种蜱虫。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases INFECTIOUS DISEASES-MICROBIOLOGY

CiteScore

6.90

自引率

12.50%

发文量

185

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases is an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal. It publishes original research papers, short communications, state-of-the-art mini-reviews, letters to the editor, clinical-case studies, announcements of pertinent international meetings, and editorials. The journal covers a broad spectrum and brings together various disciplines, for example, zoology, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, mathematical modelling, veterinary and human medicine. Multidisciplinary approaches and the use of conventional and novel methods/methodologies (in the field and in the laboratory) are crucial for deeper understanding of the natural processes and human behaviour/activities that result in human or animal diseases and in economic effects of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Such understanding is essential for management of tick populations and tick-borne diseases in an effective and environmentally acceptable manner.