Ectoparasites Associated with Desert Raven Corvus ruficollis, Lesson, 1831 at the Eastern Desert, Red Sea, Egypt

Egypt is characterized by many deserts associated with cities. The desert raven is considered an ancient one of the most abundant birds in the Egyptian desert and is susceptible to a wide range of ectoparasites. therefore, the present study was to identify the ectoparasites that infect brown-necked raven Corvus ruficollis in Wadi Dara, Eastern Desert, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. During the two years from 2020 to 2022, several parasites were collected from a brown-necked raven. Sixteen live brown-necked ravens and nine nests in the Red Sea governorate were investigated. The collected ectoparasites were thirteen lice species belonging to two suborders, four dipteran species belonging to two families, ten mite species belonging to two families, also nine tick species belonging to two families. Generally, ectoparasites are considered the primary cause of many dangerous effects for many domestic and migratory bird species, the presence of the brown-necked ravens in the bird migration route in the eastern desert increases the chance of ectoparasites transmission between different species in the same area.