Blow fly Trypocalliphora braueri parasitism on Meadow Pipit and Bluethroat nestlings in Central Europe

Abstract

The larvae of blow fly (Trypocalliphora braueri) are known to cause a subcutaneous myiasis in bird nestlings mainly in Nearctic species, while only a few records are available from the Palaearctic. Here, we report on infestations of this insect ectoparasite in two passerine species, Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) and Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), breeding in the Central European mountain range Krkonose. The infestation of T. braueri parasite was relatively low in studied bird species (3.0% of infested nests in Meadow Pipit and 4.2% in Bluethroat) but varied strongly between years (0–33% of infested nests/year/species). The presence of the parasitic blow fly larvae was apparently controlled by temperature; they were found only during warm summers. The combination of parasite infection and heavy rainfalls in a critical period significantly reduced nestling survival.