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Hatchings and their parasites

on 2nd June 2010

So far we have posted only a single account on ectoparasites, i.e. parasites living on the body surface of birds. Birdwatchers simply watch birds, even nesting birds. Photographers on the other hand photograph birds. Hopefully they do not handle nesting bird3. Only aviculturists, or people who keep birds, handle birds and their chicks. So aviculturists are more aware of ectoparasites.

Adult birds have their ways of dealing with ectoparasites, like anting, water bathing, sand bathing, sunning and preening. But not newly hatched chicks that are helpless and depend on the adults to care for them.

Now how do young chicks get infected with ectoparasites? Through reusing old nests. With every reuse, the parasite population builds up. However hygienic the birds are in not dirtying the nest, they do get contaminated through contact with faecal matters and uneaten food.

The case of the Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) whose nest is filthy is a case in point (left). Normally doves and pigeone are careful defecating when incubating and brooding. Similarly, chicks are careful where they deposit their wastes. And in many species the adult remove chicks’ wastes via faecal sacs.

Jeremy Lee, who occasionally keeps birds as pets, sent in the account below:

“The dirtiest and most infested bird I have come across is the Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). My first experience was seeing a cockroach-like insect dash in and out of the flight feathers of a healthy looking pigeon in my secondary school. … This brown, flat cockroach-like parasite was very comfortable moving around the pigeon even while its host was busy chasing a mate on the ground.”

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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