BIRDS, BUGS AND BLOOD - AVIAN PARASITISM AND CONSERVATION

Parasitism has far-reaching implications not only for the ecology and evolution of species but also for conservation. The effects of blood-feeding ectoparasites on colonially nesting bird species have been widely studied, but recent surprising reports show that solitarily nesting species are also commonly attacked, mainly by the larvae of flies. Most bird species are solitary nesters; as their habitats are increasingly fragmented, how will the potential for such parasitism be affected? One example is that of the endangered Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata), in which habitat changes have introduced a deadly parasitic fly species in a complex and unpredicted manner. As theories on habitat fragmentation outpace the data, we need to carry out more field studies of the interactions between fragmentation and parasitism, and to include parasitism in species survival and recovery plans.