@article {95046, title = {Sex interacts with age-dependent change in the abundance of lice-infesting Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis)}, journal = {Parasitology Research}, year = {2020}, month = {06-2021}, pages = {7 pp}, type = {Open Access https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06753-w}, abstract = {

Sex-biassed and age-biassed parasite infections are common in nature, including ectoparasites-vertebrate host systems. We investigated the effect of Amur Falcons\’ sex, age and body size on the abundance of their lice at a migratory stopover site, where the falcons\’ habitat use and behaviour are more homogeneous across sex and age categories than during the breeding season. We sampled Amur Falcons in Nagaland, India at major roosting sites in 2016. We applied generalized linear models (with negative binomial distribution and log-link) to model the abundance of their two most numerous lice (Colpocephalum subzerafae and Degeeriella rufa) using the host age category (juvenile or adult) and wing length, both in interaction with sex, as explanatory variables. The abundance of C. subzerafae was only affected by host age, being nearly four times higher on juveniles than on adults. Juveniles were also more infested with D. rufa than the adults. Additionally, the abundance of the latter species was lower on adult male Falcons as compared to adult females. A juvenile bias in ectoparasite infestations is common in nature, probably due to juveniles being immunologically na\ïve, more resource-limited and may be inexperienced in body maintenance behaviours like preening and grooming. On the other hand, female-biassed infestations are much rarer than male-biassed infestations. We briefly discuss the possible causes of female-biassed infestations on Amur Falcons reported here, and in the closely related Red-footed Falcon and Lesser Kestrel as reported in the literature.

}, keywords = {louse, Sex-biassed infestation}, issn = {0932-0113}, doi = {10.1007/s00436-020-06753-w}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-020-06753-w}, author = {Imre S{\'a}ndor Piross and Manju Siliwal and R. Suresh Kumar and P{\'e}ter Palatitz and Szabolcs Solt and P{\'e}ter Borb{\'a}th and N{\'o}ra Vili and N{\'o}ra Magonyi and Zolt{\'a}n Vas and Lajos R{\'o}zsa and Andrea Harnos and P{\'e}ter Feh{\'e}rv{\'a}ri} } @article {94963, title = {Sex-dependent changes in the louse abundance of red-footed falcons (Falco vespertinus)}, journal = {Parasitology Research}, volume = {119}, year = {2020}, month = {Jan-04-2020}, pages = {1327 - 1335}, abstract = {

Permanent ectoparasites live in stable environments; thus, their population dynamics are mostly adapted to changes in the host life cycle. We aimed to investigate how static and dynamic traits of red-footed falcons interplay with the dynamics of their louse subpopulations during breeding and how they affect the colonisation of new hosts by lice. We sampled red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) nestlings (two breeding seasons) and adults (one breeding season) in southern Hungary. The mean abundance of Colpocephalum subzerafae and Degeeriella rufa lice on the nestlings was modelled with generalized linear mixed models using clutch size and host sex in interaction with wing length. For adults, we used wing length and the number of days after laying the first egg, both in interaction with sex. D. rufa abundances increased with the nestlings\’ wing length. In one\ year, this trend was steeper on females. In adult birds, both louse species exhibited higher abundances on females at the beginning, but it decreased subsequently through the breeding season. Contrarily, abundances were constantly low on adult males. Apparently, D. rufa postpones transmission until nestlings develop juvenile plumage and choose the more feathered individual among siblings. The sexual difference in the observed abundance could either be caused by the different plumage, or by the females\’ preference for less parasitized males. Moreover, females likely have more time to preen during the incubation period, lowering their louse burdens. Thus, sex-biased infestation levels likely arise due to parasite preferences in the nestlings and host behavioural processes in the adult falcons.

}, keywords = {ecology, ectoparasite, Sex-biased infestation, Vertical transmission}, issn = {0932-0113}, doi = {10.1007/s00436-020-06634-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-020-06634-2}, author = {Imre S{\'a}ndor Piross and Szabolcs Solt and {\'E}va Horv{\'a}th and L{\'a}szl{\'o} Kotym{\'a}n and P{\'e}ter Palatitz and P{\'e}ter Bert{\'o}k and Szab{\'o}, Kriszti{\'a}n and N{\'o}ra Vili and Zolt{\'a}n Vas and Lajos R{\'o}zsa and Andrea Harnos and P{\'e}ter Feh{\'e}rv{\'a}ri} } @article {94549, title = {A tolltet{\H u}-fert{\H o}z{\"o}tts{\'e}g {\'e}s a f{\'e}szekaljm{\'e}ret kapcsolata a v{\"o}r{\"o}s v{\'e}rcs{\'e}n{\'e}l (Falco tinnunculus)}, journal = {Magyar Allatorvosok Lapja}, volume = {140}, year = {2018}, pages = {745 - 753}, abstract = {

\ÖSSZEFOGLAL\Ó
Kutat\ásukban a szerz{\H o}k azt vizsg\ált\ák, hogy a v\ör\ös v\ércse fi\ók\áinak ivara, fejlett- s\ége, ill. a f\észekaljm\éret hogyan befoly\ásolja tet{\H u}fajaik sz\ám\át, a tetvek meny- nyis\ég\ét (abundanci\áj\át). A vizsg\ált t\ényez{\H o}k k\öz\ül csak a f\észekaljm\éretnek volt hat\ása, csak a Degeeriella rufa tet{\H u}faj eset\ében. A 3\–4 fi\ók\ás f\észekaljakban a faj egyedsz\áma 3,7-szer akkora volt, mint az 5\–6 fi\ók\ásakban. A jelens\éget k\ét szempontb\ól lehet magyar\ázni. El{\H o}sz\ör is, a rosszabb kond\íci\óban l\év{\H o} v\ércs\ék kevesebb fi\ók\át nevelnek \és nagyobb lehet rajtuk a tetvek mennyis\ége, \így t\öbb tet{\H u} terjedhet \át a fi\ók\áikra is. M\ásodszor, a nagyobb f\észekaljakban a tetvek t\öbb fi\óka k\özt tudnak sz\étterjedni, \így cs\ökkentve az egy fi\ók\ára jut\ó terhelts\éget.

English title:\ The relationship of louse infestation and clutch size in the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

SUMMARY
Background: Lice are common ectoparasites of birds, completing their entire life cycle in the plumage. Transmission \– in most cases \– requires physical con- tact between hosts. Lice may benefit from choosing host individuals with better survival prospects and dispersal chances. Bodily contacts between parents and offsprings provide a good opportunity for host selection. The Common Kestrel is a widespread, small-bodied raptor of the Palearctic region, with well-known breeding biology and ectoparasite fauna, making it suitable to study the ecolog- ical correlates of vertical transmission of lice.
Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate how the sex, maturity and clutch size of Common Kestrel nestlings affect the abundance of their lice. Materials and Methods: Field work was carried out in K\ör\ös-Maros National Park Directorate (Hungary). The ectoparasites were collected from nestlings (n = 54) with dust-ruffling. The effect of the host\’s sex, wing length and clutch size on the abundance of their lice was analysed using negative binomial mixed models.
Results and Discussion: In case of Colpocephalum subzerafae, none of the investigated variables had a significant effect. Contrarily, clutch size had a sig- nificant effect on Degeeriella rufa abundance. In small clutches (3\–4 nestlings) the mean abundance of D. rufa (15.5 95\% C.I.: 8\–30) is 3.7 times higher, than in large (5\–6 nestlings) clutches (4.2 95\% C.I.: 2.3\–7.4). We discuss two non-ex- clusive explanations of this pattern. First, parental quality is known to affect the clutch size. If low quality parents are also more heavily infested with lice, this could explain the higher louse load of their nestlings. Alternatively, accord- ing to the dilution hypothesis, long life-cycle ectoparasites (such as lice), that are incapable to significantly raise their subpopulation size till the fledging of the chicks, disperse among the nestlings, resulting in lower per nestling louse counts in larger clutches. According to our results both the breeding parameters and the quality of the parents may affect their offsprings\’ ectoparasite load.

}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329449936_A_tolltetu-fertozottseg_es_a_feszekaljmeret_kapcsolata_a_voros_vercsenel_Falco_tinnunculus_The_relationship_of_louse_infestation_and_clutch_size_in_the_Common_Kestrel_Falco_tinnunculus}, author = {Imre S{\'a}ndor Piross and Rebeka Saliga and Szabolcs Solt and {\'E}va Horv{\'a}th and L{\'a}szl{\'o} Kotym{\'a}n and Andrea Harnos and Lajos R{\'o}zsa and P{\'e}ter Palatitz and P{\'e}ter Feh{\'e}rv{\'a}ri} } @article {68908, title = {Louse (Insecta: Phthiraptera) infestations of the Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) and the Red-footed Falcon}, journal = {Ornis Hungarica}, volume = {23}, year = {2015}, pages = {58-65}, abstract = {

Little is known about the louse species harboured by Red-footed and Amur Falcons despite the fact that various life-history traits of these hosts make them good model species to study host-parasite interactions. We collected lice samples from fully grown Amur (n=20) and Red-footed Falcons (n=59), and from nestlings of Red-footed Falcons (n=179) in four countries: Hungary, India, Italy and South Africa. We identified 3 louse species on both host species, namely Degeeriella rufa, Colpocephalum subzerafae and Laembothrion tinnunculi. The latter species has never been found on these hosts. Comparing population parame\­ters of lice between hosts we found significantly higher prevalence levels of D. rufa and C. subzerafae on Amur Falcons. Adult Red-footed Falcons had higher D. rufa prevalence compared to C. subzerafae. For the first time we also show inter-annual shift in prevalence and intensity levels of these species on Red-footed Falcons; in 2012 on adult hosts C. subzerafae had higher intensity levels than D. rufa, however in 2014 D. rufa had significantly higher intensity compared to C. subzerafae. In case of nestlings both louse species had significantly higher preva\­lence levels than in 2014. The exact causes of such inter-annual shifts are yet to be understood.

}, keywords = {Colpocephalum subzerafae, Degeeriella rufa, descriptive statistics, ectoparasite, Laembothrion tinnunculi, lice}, doi = {10.1515/orhu-2015-0005}, url = {http://www.ornis.hu/articles/OrnisHungarica_vol23(1)_p58-65.pdf}, author = {Imre S{\'a}ndor Piross and P{\'e}ter Feh{\'e}rv{\'a}ri and Zolt{\'a}n Vas and Szabolcs Solt and {\'E}va Horv{\'a}th and P{\'e}ter Palatitz and Cristina Giosele and Marco Gustin and Mario Pedrelli and R. Suresh Kumar and Nick P. Williams and Rina Pretorious and Zephne Bernitz and Herman Bernitz and Andrea Harnos} }