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Tick infestation of birds across a gradient of urbanization intensity in the United States Great Plains

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Abstract

Migratory birds play an important role in large-scale movements of ticks and tick-borne pathogens, yet little is known about tick infestation of resident birds (e.g., non-migratory species and migratory species during the breeding season), especially in urban ecosystems. We captured birds during the breeding season in parks and greenspaces in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, to evaluate overall tick infestation patterns and to determine if urbanization influences infestation prevalence (the proportion of birds parasitized) and intensity (the number of ticks on infested birds). Of 459 birds, 111 (24.2%) had ≥ 1 tick, a high proportion of infestation compared with past North American studies. The most frequently infested species were Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus; 56%), Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum; 37%), and Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis; 27%). The Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) comprised half (51%; n = 322) of all ticks on birds; other species sampled included Gulf Coast Tick (A. maculatum) (36%) and Rabbit Tick (Haemaphysalis leporispalustris) (13%). Urbanization intensity (i.e., the percentage of developed land around sites) was inversely related to infestation prevalence for all birds combined and for Carolina Wren, but intensity of infestation was unrelated to urbanization. Our results suggest that non-migratory and migratory birds during sedentary periods are important carriers of ticks in urban areas, and that tick infestation patterns can be influenced by the level of urbanization in the surrounding landscape. Clarifying how urban birds influence tick populations, and how urbanization shapes bird-tick interactions, will increase understanding of tick-borne disease ecology in urban ecosystems.

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Data are available within this manuscript and can be provided by the authors upon request.

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All analyses were conducted using standard code within existing R packages; however, code can be provided by the authors upon request.

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Acknowledgements

Research was funded by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology [HR16-038] and NIFA/USDA Hatch Grant funds through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station [OKL-03085 and OKL-03150]. We thank Dawn Brown, Caitlin Laughlin, Caleb McKinney, and Liam Whiteman for assistance collecting data and Sue Fairbanks for providing feedback and insight on the manuscript.

Funding

Research was funded by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology [HR16-038] and NIFA/USDA Hatch Grant funds through the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station [OKL-03085 and OKL-03150].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Megan A. Roselli & Bruce H. Noden

  2. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Megan A. Roselli & Scott R. Loss

  3. Da Vinci Science Center, Allentown, PA, USA

    Megan A. Roselli

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All authors conceived and designed the study and developed its methods. M.A.R. led fieldwork and data collection, managed and analyzed data, and drafted the manuscript. B.H.N. and S.R.L. provided feedback and edits on manuscript drafts.

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Correspondence to Megan A. Roselli.

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All applicable national, state, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Handling of wild birds was permitted under a U.S. federal bird banding permit (#23929) and State of Oklahoma Scientific Collector’s Permit (#6963); bird handling was also approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Oklahoma State University (protocol #AG-14–6).

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Roselli, M.A., Noden, B.H. & Loss, S.R. Tick infestation of birds across a gradient of urbanization intensity in the United States Great Plains. Urban Ecosyst 25, 379–391 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-021-01160-0

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