Mallophaga Research Articles

Low levels of chicken body louse (Menacanthus stramineus) infestations affect chicken welfare in a cage-free housing system

BackgroundThe chicken body louse is an obligate ectoparasite of domestic chickens. Chicken body lice feed on feathers, and infestation with this louse is linked to decreases in egg production, hen weight, and feed conversion efficiency. However, it is unknown how chicken body lice impact egg-laying chickens in cage-free environments. Welfare and behavior metrics were collected from flocks of egg-laying chickens either infested with chicken body lice or left uninfested.MethodsIn two trials, two flocks of cage-free commercial egg-laying chickens were infested with chicken body lice or maintained as uninfested controls. At three timepoints, behavior and welfare of all chickens was measured. On-animal sensors were used to quantify pecking, preening, and dustbathing behavior. Other animal-based welfare metrics included recording comb wounds and skin lesions.ResultsBirds infested with chicken body lice exhibited significantly more preening behaviors than uninfested birds, even at low louse levels. Moderate or severe skin lesions were detected on birds that were moderately infested with chicken body lice while skin lesions were never detected on uninfested birds.ConclusionsThe welfare of chickens was impacted by the chicken body louse, a chewing louse that primarily feather feeds. Evidence of skin lesions on infested birds suggests that lice may cause more damage to birds than previously thought, and further evaluation of louse economic damage is necessary.Graphical

The parasitic louse genus Myrsidea (Amblycera: Menoponidae): a comprehensive review and world checklist

Abstract Myrsidea Waterston, 1915 (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) is the most diverse genus of avian chewing lice. Myrsidea has a global distribution, is thought to be highly host-specific, and parasitizes mostly passerine birds. However, the rate of taxonomic studies describing new species is relatively low, and it is thought that much of the diversity of Myrsidea is yet to be discovered. This low rate of taxonomic description for this genus, and many others, may be related to the time-consuming nature of morphological species description and a lack of expertise in louse taxonomy. Furthermore, most of the taxonomic revisions and reviews have focused on specific host families, and no comprehensive review of the morphology and molecular work of Myrsidea has been completed in the last 20 years. Here, we review the taxonomy and systematics of Myrsidea to (i) describe this chewing louse genus and its biological importance; (ii) describe current problems with its taxonomy; (iii) simplify and summarize morphological descriptions; (iv) summarize molecular data; and (v) provide a comprehensive checklist of the Myrsidea species, with all publications and localities of occurrence included. Together, we hope that this information will provide researchers with a single source of information on the genus Myrsidea, making it easier for work to proceed on its taxonomy, systematics, ecology, and evolution. Importantly, our work highlights important gaps in our knowledge of Myrsidea, providing guideposts on where future work on Myrsidea is needed.

Development of a Reversed-Phase UPLC Method for Assay of Fipronil Including Determination of Its Related Substances in Bulk Batches of Fipronil Drug Substance.

Fipronil is a commonly used pesticide in the agricultural and animal health industries for the protection of crops and control of fleas, ticks, and chewing lice. It is difficult to obtain reproducible retention time and relative retention time (RRT) for a common hydrolytic degradation product of fipronil with the current European Pharmacopeia (EP) monograph for assay and estimation of related substances of fipronil. This situation causes misidentification, mislabeling, and/or false out-of-specification results for this hydrolytic degradation product of fipronil in bulk commercial batches during batch release and/or in the stability samples during the shelf life of a released batch. This study aimed to develop a reversed-phase ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for assay and identification of fipronil including identification and estimation of its related substances in bulk drug substance batches of fipronil and provide consistent retention time of the hydrolytic degradation product. Fipronil and its related substances were separated by gradient elution on a Halo C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm id, 2.0 µm particle size) maintained at 40°C with 0.1% H3PO4 in H2O as mobile phase-A and acetonitrile-methanol (50 + 50, v/v) as mobile phase-B. Fipronil and its related substances were detected and quantified at 280 nm with a quantitation limit of 0.05% of the target (analytical) concentration. The UPLC method was able to separate all analytes of interest by gradient elution with a total run time of 7 min (approximately 40% faster than EP). In this paper, we report the development and validation of a fast, stability-indicating reversed-phase UPLC method for assay and estimation of related substances of fipronil in stability samples and bulk batches of fipronil. The new UPLC method is approximately 40% faster than the current Ph. Eur. monograph for fipronil assay and the new method provides reproducible retention of a common hydrolytic degradation product of fipronil.

Eutrichophilus cordiceps Mjöberg, 1910 (Ischnocera: Trichodectidae) in Spiny Tree Porcupines (Coendou villosus): New locality records and the first molecular evidence of association with Bartonella sp.

The chewing louse genus Eutrichophilus Mjöberg has 19 species only associated with porcupines (Rodentia: Erethizontidae). Of these species, E. cercolabes, E. cordiceps, E. emersoni, E. minor, E. moojeni, and E. paraguayensis have been recorded in Brazil. In the present study, we report E. cordiceps for the first time in the São Paulo State (Bauru Municipality) and for the second time in the Santa Catarina State (Lages Municipality), providing scanning electron images and light microscopy for the eggs, as well as the first molecular data (18S rRNA) for the genus. Additionally, Bartonella sp. was detected for the first time in this chewing lice species.

Chromosome-level genome of the poultry shaft louse Menopon gallinae provides insight into the host-switching and adaptive evolution of parasitic lice.

Lice (Psocodea: Phthiraptera) are one important group of parasites that infects birds and mammals. It is believed that the ancestor of parasitic lice originated on the ancient avian host, and ancient mammals acquired these parasites via host-switching from birds. Here we present the first chromosome-level genome of Menopon gallinae in Amblycera (earliest diverging lineage of parasitic lice). We explore the transition of louse host-switching from birds to mammals at the genomic level by identifying numerous idiosyncratic genomic variations. The assembled genome is 155 Mb in length, with a contig N50 of 27.42 Mb. Hi-C scaffolding assigned 97% of the bases to 5 chromosomes. The genome of M. gallinae retains a basal insect repertoire of 11,950 protein-coding genes. By comparing the genomes of lice to those of multiple representative insects in other orders, we discovered that gene families of digestion, detoxification, and immunity-related are generally conserved between bird lice and mammal lice, while mammal lice have undergone a significant reduction in genes related to chemosensory systems and temperature. This suggests that mammal lice have lost some of these genes through the adaption to environment and temperatures after host-switching. Furthermore, 7 genes related to hematophagy were positively selected in mammal lice, suggesting their involvement in the hematophagous behavior. Our high-quality genome of M. gallinae provides a valuable resource for comparative genomic research in Phthiraptera and facilitates further studies on adaptive evolution of host-switching within parasitic lice.

The first record of ostrich feather louse (Struthiolipeurus struthionis) collected from farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in the United Arab Emirates.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) farming in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively new field of farming. Farmed ostriches are susceptible to ectoparasite infestation, which affects their production. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites on ostriches raised on a farm in Abu Dhabi Emirate. The feathers of 42 ostriches (26 females and 16 males) were collected and morphologically examined for ectoparasites. In total, 283 lice (89 males and 194 females) were collected from birds. However, there were no ticks or other ectoparasites. Lice were preserved in 1.5 mL tubes containing 70% ethanol and were later identified using taxonomic keys. The prevalence, mean intensity of infection, and mean abundance were estimated. One louse species, Struthiolipeurus struthionis was identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. struthionis in ostriches raised in the UAE with an overall prevalence of 88%. The prevalence of lice was significantly higher in July (100%) than that in May (66.7%). Likewise, the mean intensity and abundance of lice were significantly higher in June (10.6 and 9.94, respectively) than in May (3.25 and 2.2, respectively). The high prevalence of lice poses a serious risk to ostrich farming by negatively affecting the health and productivity of ostriches.

Review of the chewing louse fauna of the invasive common myna (Acridotheres tristis), with new records from Palestine and a redescription of Brueelia chayanh Ansari, 1955 (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Brueelia-complex).

Palestine hosts a large diversity of birds, with 393 recorded species, but little data are available on the chewing lice fauna found on these birds. In this study, we surveyed the species of chewing lice found on the common myna, Acridotheres tristis, which is one of the most invasive bird species in the world. Forty-five mynas were examined to collect their ectoparasites, which were preserved and slide mounted. Among the 1004 chewing lice processed, we identified two species: Menacanthus eurysternus (Burmeister, 1838) (prevalence 100%) and Brueelia chayanh Ansari, 1955 (prevalence 82.2%). No other species of chewing louse known from A. tristis in its native range was found, showing a possible sorting event in the founding population of common myna in the region. Prevalence (100%) and abundance (22.3) were high compared to similar studies of the common myna. To contribute to future research on the lice of common mynas, we provide an annotated checklist of the louse species reported from this host globally. Also, we redescribe and illustrate Brueelia chayanh, and place Sturnidoecus tristisae Bughio et al., 2018 as a new junior synonym of Sturnidoecus bannoo Ansari, 1968.

New record of the chewing louse Myrsidea dissimilis (Kellogg, 1896) (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) parasitizing a Purple Martin, Progne subis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Amazonas, Brazil

The chewing lice are obligatory ectoparasites of birds and mammals distributed worldwide. From an expedition to Comaru Island, Brazilian Amazon, a chewing louse parasitizing a Purple Martin [Progne subis (Linnaeus, 1758)], a Neotropical migrant, was collected. The specimen was slide-mounted and identified as a male of Myrsidea dissimilis (Kellogg, 1896) (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae). It represents the first record of this species in the Amazonas State and in Central Amazon.

Co-phylogeny of a hyper-symbiotic system: Endosymbiotic bacteria (Gammaproteobacteria), chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) and birds (Passeriformes)

Chewing lice are hosts to endosymbiotic bacteria as well as themselves being permanent parasites. This offers a unique opportunity to examine the cophylogenetic relationships between three ecologically interconnected organismal groups: birds, chewing lice, and bacteria. Here, we examine the cophylogenetic relationships between lice in the genus Guimaraesiella Eichler, 1949, their endosymbiotic Sodalis-allied bacteria, and a range of bird species from across South China. Both event and distance-based cophylogenetic analyses were explored to compare phylogenies of the three organismal groups. Pair-wise comparisons between lice-endosymbionts and bird-endosymbionts indicated that their evolutionary histories are not independent. However, comparisons between lice and birds, showed mixed results; the distance-based method of ParaFit indicated that their evolutionary histories are not independent, while the event-based method of Jane indicated that their phylogenies were no more congruent than expected by chance. Notably, louse host-switching does not seem to have affected bacterial strains, as conspecific lice sampled from distantly related hosts share bacteria belonging to the same clade.

Host body size, not host population size, predicts genome-wide effective population size of parasites.

The effective population size (Ne) of an organism is expected to be generally proportional to the total number of individuals in a population. In parasites, we might expect the effective population size to be proportional to host population size and host body size, because both are expected to increase the number of parasite individuals. However, among other factors, parasite populations are sometimes so extremely subdivided that high levels of inbreeding may distort these predicted relationships. Here, we used whole-genome sequence data from dove parasites (71 feather louse species of the genus Columbicola) and phylogenetic comparative methods to study the relationship between parasite effective population size and host population size and body size. We found that parasite effective population size is largely explained by host body size but not host population size. These results suggest the potential local population size (infrapopulation or deme size) is more predictive of the long-term effective population size of parasites than is the total number of potential parasite infrapopulations (i.e., host individuals).

DOES PREENING BEHAVIOR REDUCE THE PREVALENCE OF AVIAN FEATHER LICE (PHTHIRAPTERA: ISCHNOCERA)?

Animals defend themselves against parasites in many ways. Defenses, such as physiological immune responses, are capable of clearing some infections. External parasites that do not feed on blood, however, are not controlled by the physiological immune system. Instead, ectoparasites like feather-feeding lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) are primarily controlled by behavioral defenses such as preening. Here we test the hypothesis that birds able to preen are capable of clearing infestations of feather lice. We experimentally manipulated preening ability in a captive population of rock pigeons (Columba livia) that were infested with identical numbers of feather lice (Columbicola columbae or Campanulotes compar or both). We then monitored the feather louse infestations for 42 wk. Birds with impaired preening remained infested throughout the experiment; in contrast, the prevalence of lice on birds that could preen normally decreased by 50%. These data indicate that it is indeed possible for birds to clear themselves of feather lice, and perhaps other ectoparasites, by preening. We note, however, that captive birds spend more time preening than wild birds, and that they are less likely to be reinfested than wild birds. Thus, additional studies are necessary to determine under what circumstances wild birds can clear themselves of ectoparasites by preening.

Chewing lice of Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus, 1758 in Brazil with a new host record.

The white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) is a seabird widely distributed in the circumpolar sub-Antarctic islands and subtropical regions, including Brazilian waters. Among the parasites present on the white-chinned petrel are the chewing lice. This seabird is parasitized by 4 known lice species to date. In this study we evaluated the ectoparasites of 2 white-chinned petrels rescued by an animal rehabilitation center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and recorded 4 species of chewing lice, of which 3 are already known for this host. One of the species however, has never been recorded in Brazil and another one has never been recorded parasitizing P. aequinoctialis, making this a new host record.

Morphological and molecular evidence reveals a new species of chewing louse Pancola ailurus n. sp. (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) from the endangered Chinese red panda Ailurus styani.

Lice are six-legged, wingless, insect parasites of mammals and birds, and include two main functional groups: blood-sucking lice and chewing lice. However, it is still not clear whether the Chinese red panda Ailurus styani is infested with the parasitic louse. In the present study, we describe a new genus and a species of chewing louse, Pancola ailurus (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) based on morphological and molecular datasets. The morphological features showed that Pancola is closer to Paratrichodectes. The genetic divergence of cox1 and 12S rRNA among the Pancola ailurus n. sp. and other Trichodectidae lice was 29.7 - 34.6% and 38.9 - 43.6%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on the available mitochondrial gene sequences showed that P. ailurus n. sp. is more closely related to Trichodectes canis and Geomydoecus aurei than to Felicola subrostratus and together nested within the family Trichodectidae. This study is the first record of parasitic lice from the endangered Chinese red panda A. styani and highlights the importance of integrating morphological and molecular datasets for the identification and discrimination of new louse species.

Bird Louse Flies Ornithomya spp. (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) as Potential Vectors of Mammalian Babesia and Other Pathogens.

Background: Birds and mammals share various ectoparasites, which are responsible for the transmission of a wide range of pathogens. The louse flies (family Hippoboscidae) are ectoparasitic dipterans feeding strictly on the blood of mammals and birds. Both sexes of the louse flies are obligatory hematophagous and are known to act as the vectors of infectious agents. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 specimens of Ornithomya sp. were collected by hand on birds caught in nets or by hand from humans in two localities in Eastern Slovakia in 2021. The DNA samples were individually screened by species-specific PCRs for the presence of selected vector-borne pathogens. Results: Taxonomic identification folowed by molecular analyses revealed two louse fly species of Ornithomya spp. (O. avicularia and O. biloba). The molecular screening provided negative PCR results for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Hepatozoon canis. In contrast, positive PCR results were obtained for Babesia spp., Wolbachia spp., and Trypanosoma corvi. Conclusions: Of epidemiological importance is that the louse flies can presumably spread Babesia and other pathogens by host switching which facilitates the transmission and spread of numerous pathogens.

Draft genome assemblies of the avian louse Brueelia nebulosa and its associates using long-read sequencing from an individual specimen.

Sequencing high molecular weight (HMW) DNA with long-read and linked-read technologies has promoted a major increase in more complete genome sequences for nonmodel organisms. Sequencing approaches that rely on HMW DNA have been limited to larger organisms or pools of multiple individuals, but recent advances have allowed for sequencing from individuals of small-bodied organisms. Here, we use HMW DNA sequencing with PacBio long reads and TELL-Seq linked reads to assemble and annotate the genome from a single individual feather louse (Brueelia nebulosa) from a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). We assembled a genome with a relatively high scaffold N50 (637 kb) and with BUSCO scores (96.1%) comparable to louse genomes assembled from pooled individuals. We annotated a number of genes (10,938) similar to the human louse (Pediculus humanus) genome. Additionally, calling phased variants revealed that the Brueelia genome is more heterozygous (∼1%) then expected for a highly obligate and dispersal-limited parasite. We also assembled and annotated the mitochondrial genome and primary endosymbiont (Sodalis) genome from the individual louse, which showed evidence for heteroplasmy in the mitogenome and a reduced genome size in the endosymbiont compared to its free-living relative. Our study is a valuable demonstration of the capability to obtain high-quality genomes from individual small, nonmodel organisms. Applying this approach to other organisms could greatly increase our understanding of the diversity and evolution of individual genomes.

Host Migration and Size Do Not Influence the Prevalence of Most Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera and Ischnocera) on Shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) across the World

Patterns of prevalence in chewing lice (Phthiraptera) on wild birds are poorly known, as are the underlying factors that influence these patterns. Here, we analyze a data set consisting of published prevalence data of lice on shorebirds, as well as new prevalence data from shorebirds examined in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, and Sweden between 2007 and 2020. In total, prevalence data from 10 genera of lice from over 110 host species were included, including all major families of shorebirds. Using a generalized linear mixed model, we examine how the prevalence of lice of different genera varies between different sets of birds, focusing on two factors associated with migration (migration length and migration route). We found that host body size does not influence prevalence of lice in the Charadriiformes for any of the four most common and widely distributed louse genera (Actornithophilus, Austromenopon, Quadraceps, and Saemundssonia). Moreover, neither of the two migration variables showed any statistically significant correlations with prevalence, except for the genus Saemundssonia in which the prevalence of lice on short-distance migrants was significantly higher than on intermediate- and long-distance migrants. We also present 15 new records of chewing lice for China and 12 for Australia.

Prevalence, clinical presentation, and therapeutic outcome of ectoparasitic infestations in dogs in Egypt.

Skin diseases are usually chronic in nature but not life-threatening. They affect the well-being and pose a threat to the general health of the affected animals. This study aimed to investigate epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of ectoparasitic infestations in dogs in a number of Egyptian governorates. Ninety dogs (58 males and 32 females) aged from 1 month to 11 years from 6 Egyptian governorates were clinically examined during the years 2022 and 2023. Skin scraping samples were taken from all examined dogs, and deep ear swab specimens from five dogs suspected to have ear mites were obtained and parasitologically examined. Different ectoparasites were classified according to their morphological features. Twenty dogs were treated in four different patterns of administration of local, systemic, and supportive medications. The prevalence of ectoparasite infestation in examined dogs was 64% (58/90). The majority of ectoparasitic infestations (50/58) were single, while the rest (8/58) were mixed. Nine species of ectoparasites of fourtaxa were identified: a tick species (Rhipicephalus sanguineus); which had the highest prevalence among isolated ectoparasites from dogs (29%, 26/90), three flea species (Ctenocephalides canis, Ctenocephalides orientis, and Ctenocephalides felis) isolated from 18 out of 90 cases (20%), two types of dog chewing louse species (Trichodectes canis and Heterodoxus spiniger) isolated from 2/90 (2.2%) and three mite species: Demodex canis (18/90, 20%), Sarcoptes scabei var. canis (5/90, 6%) and Otodectes cynotis (2/90, 2.2%). The logistic regression analysis of the potential risk factors associated with the prevalence of ectoparasites in dogs revealed that age, breed, housing environment, habitat, and season were the significant factors affecting the prevalence of ectoparasites (p < 0.05) in contrast dog gender did not have a significant effect. Treated dogs showed variations in recovery times and dogs that received ancillary treatment showed rapid skin improvement and hair regrowth. Doramectin was effective against ticks and fleas, but fluralaner was more effective against Demodex mites. The prevalence of ectoparasites in dogs in Egypt could be considered high and necessitates efforts toward accurate diagnosis, treatment, and control to reduce their impact on animal and public health.

POPULATION DIVERSITY OF CHEWING LICE (PHTHIRAPTERA) INFESTING DUCKS AND GEESE (FAMILY ANATIDAE) IN SOUTHEAST PARTS OF PAKISTAN

&#x0D; The birds and chewing lice relationship depends on environmental conditions that cause morbidity by feeding on feathers, irritating them, hence affecting their economic importance. In the present work, the statistical taxonomical analysis of the chewing lice was done using the population distribution, prevalence and host-parasite interaction. The chewing lice (Phthiraptera) were planned to study the population burden and infestation rate in ducks and geese in local water bodies in Sindh. The study was conducted between September 2018 and August 2021. Total of 124 birds, including Anas acuta, A. crecca, A. platyrhynchos, A. querquedula, Aythya ferina, A. fuligula, A. nyroca, Anser albifrons, A. anser, Marmaronetta angustirostris and Spatula clypeata were used. Amongst 124 host birds, only 58 birds were found infested with 46.77% prevalence of chewing lice. A total of 405 chewing lice were collected among them 137 males, 178 females and 90 nymphs were recovered, including 8 species, Anaticola crassicornis (Scopoli, 1763), A. mergiserrati (de Geer, 1778), Anatoecous dentatus (Scopoli, 1763), A. icterodes (Nitzsch, 1818), Holomenopon fatemae (Naz and Rizvi, 2012), H. leucoxanthum (Burmeister, 1838), Trinoton anserinum (Fabricius, 1805) and T. qurequdulae (Linnaeus, 1758). The highest abundance and frequency (%) of chewing lice recorded for Anaticola crassicornis were 125 and 30.86% respectively, whereas the lowest for Anatoecus dentatus were 12 and 2.96% respectively. Among birds, the highest host-wise prevalence of lice infestation was found in A. ferina (58.33%), whereas the least prevalence was in A. albifrons (22.22%). Among lice species, the highest mean intensity was recorded by Anaticola crassicornis (13.89±3.33) and the least mean intensity was for Holomenopon fatemae mean intensity (2.6±0.4). It was also the first collective report on the chewing lice population burden on anatid birds in the Sindh region of Pakistan.

Tricholiperus lipeurides (Mégnin 1884) in Mazama temama (Kerr 1792): first case report in Mexico

Objective: To identify the taxonomy of lice of the family Trichodectidae present in a captive population of M. temama.Methodology: Lice were collected from 15 red brocket (Temazate) deer (M. temama) in captivity at the Unit for the Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use of Wildlife El Pochote, Ixtaczoquiltan, Veracruz, Mexico. The deer were sedated and inspected in the ventral and inguinal zone, ears and tail to collect the lice, which were observed with bright field microscopy and electron microscopy. Then, with the use of taxonomic keys, lice were identified up to species.Results: A total of 155 lice identified as Tricholiperus lipeuroides were collected in 8 females and 7 males of M. temama. The prevalence was 60% (9 out of 15 deer had lice) at an average abundance of 10 lice per deer. The inguinal and ventral zone were the areas of the body where most of the collected lice were detected. Implications: This study expands the knowledge about ectoparasites in M. temama incaptivity, recording for the first time the association of the chewing louse T. lipeuroideswith this species of deer. The deer analyzed did not present clinical signs such as hairloss. This information is not yet reported in other studies; there are no previous casereports for Mexico.Conclusions: The presence of T. lipeuroides in M. temama is reported for the first timein the UMA El Pochote, Ixtaczoquitlán, Veracruz, Mexico. Since M. temama sharessome areas of the enclosures in the UMA with O. virginianus, the Temazate became ahost of T. lipeuroides.

Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) of some migratory waterfowl-ducks and geese in Kashmir province, JKUT, India

The chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Insecta) were examined for their rate of infestation on migratory waterfowl-ducks and geese (Anatidae: Anseriformes: Aves) in Kashmir region during the years 2015-2019. During the present study, two species of chewing lice have been found on winter migratory waterfowl-ducks and geese in various wetlands of Kashmir. The study of 93 dead winter migratory waterfowl-ducks and geese over a period of 5 years revealed that 47 birds were infested with one or other type of parasite with an overall prevalence rate of 50.53%. The ectoparasites reported during the present study includes Anaticola crassicornis and Trinoton anserinum with prevalence percentage respectively 22.58% and 27.95%. Among the two ectoparasites recovered from the different migratory waterfowl, Trinoton crassicornis was found to be most prevalent. During the study host wise, year wise, mean intensity and abundance of ectoparasites was also reported.