Non-haematophagous ectoparasite populations of Procellariiform birds in Shetland, Scotland

Feather lice and feather mites were collected from Procellariiform birds in Shetland during July, 1981. Lice were found on 80% of the 44 Fulmars examined, 100% of the 4 Manx Shearwaters, 97.5% of the 240 Storm Petrels, and 43% of the 7 Leech's Petrels. Halipeurus pelagicus was collected from both Storm Petrels and Leech's Petrels, and Philoceanus robertsi, previously reported only from Wilson's Storm Petrel, was found on Storm Petrels. Frequency distributions of the numerous ectoparasite species conformed well with a negative binomial distribution. The population structures and ecology of the ectoparasites are discussed.