''Ornithonyssus sylviarum'' (also known as the northern fowl mite) is a

haematophagous Hematophagy (sometimes spelled haematophagy or hematophagia) is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood (from the Greek words αἷμα ' "blood" and φαγεῖν ' "to eat"). Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious pro ...

ectoparasite of

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...

. In both size and appearance, it resembles the red mite, ''

Dermanyssus gallinae ''Dermanyssus gallinae'' (also known as the red mite) is a haematophagous ectoparasite of poultry. It has been implicated as a vector of several major pathogenic diseases. Despite its common names, it has a wide range of hosts including severa ...

''. This blood-feeding parasite is broadly distributed, and has been reported on 72 host species of North American birds in 26 families. The mites have been a major pest of the poultry industry since the early 1900s.

References

Mesostigmata Animals described in 1877 Agricultural pest mites Poultry diseases Veterinary entomology Parasites of birds Parasites of humans Ectoparasites Parasitic acari {{Mesostigmata-stub

See also

References