Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls: A New Host for Protocalliphora sialia and Hesperocimex sonorensis in Arizona

2005·2.7 MB·English

by  Glenn A Proudfoot

Wilson Bulletin 117(2):185—188, 2005
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWLS: A NEW HOST EOR
PROTOCALLIPHORA SIALIA AND HESPEROCIMEX SONORENSIS
IN ARIZONA
GLENN A. PROUDFOOX'J JESSICA L. USENER,^ AND PETE D. TEEL^
—
ABSTRACT. While banding Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls (Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum) in Ari-
zona, we removed three Protocalliphora sialia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from the wing margin of one nestling.
Subsequent inspection ofnest material revealed an additional 119 Hesperocimexsonorensis (Hemiptera: Cimic-
idae), another hematophagous parasite. All nestlings {n = 3) fledged successfully, but on day 8 postfledging,
two fledglings were found dead and one was missing. Although unsubstantiated, the subclinical effect (e.g.,
anemia) of these hematophagous parasites may have contributed to the fledglings’ demise. This is the first
published record of P. sialia parasitizing Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls and the first documented infestation of H.
sonorensis for nesting Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls. Received 2 August 2004, accepted 23 February 2005.
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls {Glauci- tional ectoparasites. To the best of our knowl-
dium brasilianum cactorum, hereafter pygmy- edge, this is the first record of P. sialia par-
owl) are secondary obligate cavity nesters that asitizing pygmy-owls.
m
require mature trees, including large columnar The nest cavity was 3.5 above ground
cacti, for nesting (Proudfoot and Johnson level in a saguaro cactus {Carnegiea gigantea)
;
2000). In March 1997, the U.S. Fish and in the Altar Valley southwest of Tucson, Ar-
i
i Wildlife Service listed the pygmy-owl as en- izona. The entrance diameter (7.5 X 9.0 cm)
dangered in Arizona (U.S. Fish and Wildlife was large enough to remove nestlings and nest
Service 1997). In 1999, only 41 adult pygmy- material by hand. After the nestlings fledged,
!
owls were known to exist in Arizona. In 2000 we removed and examined nest material for
and 2001, population sizes in Arizona were 34 additional P. sialia; none were found. How-
!
and 36 adults, respectively (U.S. Fish and ever, we did collect 119 Hesperocimex sono-
' Wildlife Service 2003). rensis (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), another he-
On 2 June 2002, during a cooperative study matophagous parasite. To the best of our
of nesting ecology and phylogeography of knowledge, this is the first published record of
] pygmy-owls in Arizona, we removed three H. sonorensis infesting a pygmy-owl nest cav-
I dipteran larvae from the right wing of one ity. Due to funding and time limitations, nest
pygmy-owl nestling. Larvae were incidentally material was not examined from any other
discovered and then removed during routine pygmy-owl nest cavities.
banding of nestlings. The larvae, later identi- The Calliphoridae mostly comprise ne-
fied by T. L. Whitworth as P. sialia (Diptera: crophagous fly species that, in the larval stage,
' Calliphoridae), were on the wing margin be- consume carrion or decaying flesh in wounds,
tanwdee7n, saencdon1d0arayndre1mI.igWees pnruemsbeerrved5 laanrdva6e,i6n aanndd aDreurgdeenenral2l0y02k).nowLanrvaaslblPorwotfolciaesll(iMpuhlolrean,
95% ethanol and vouchered samples as study
however, are hematophagous parasites that
specimens at the TexAa&sMCooperative Wildlife commonly feed on nestlings of nidicolous
Collection at Texas University in Col- birds (Hill and Work 1947, Bohm 1978, Bo-
lege Station. Subsequent examination of the
infested nestling's siblings revealed no addi- land et al. 1989, Merino and Botti 1998). Few
studies have shown a direct link between Pro-
I toccdliphora infestations and nestling mortal-
I
' Dept, of Wikllifc ami bislicrics Sciences. Texas ity or reductions in nest productivity (Ciold
A&M Univ., 2258 TAMU. College Station. TX 77843. and Dahlsten 1983, Roby et al. 1992). How-
USA.
A&M ever, recent stutlies have found evidence of
TA‘MDUep,t,CoolfleFgjeitStoamtoiloong.y,TXTe7x7a8s43, USA.llniv., 2475 indirect links between hematophagous para-
’Ctirrespomling author; e-mail; sites and nestling-to-fledgling survival. I'or
gproiKlfootC«hamu.edu example, in House Wrens ( /roglodytes aedon)
186 THE WILSON BULLETIN • Vol. !17, No. 2, June 2005
a >25% loss in hemoglobin levels was attri- numbers that are underextreme environmental
buted to blood feeding by P. parorum and stress.
Denncmyssus hinidinis (a mite; Acari; Mesos- The three nestlings banded on 2 June 2002
tigmata: Dermanyssidae). A hemoglobin de- were monitored to fledging (15 June) and for
ficiency of this magnitude may significantly 8 days postfledging. Eight days postfledging,
reduce the transport of oxygen to tissues. If the nestling from which we removed the P.
fledglings retain low hemoglobin and oxygen sialia was found dead at the base of a saguaro
levels, their anemic state may have a negative cactus. The carcass was intact with no sign of
effect on the birds’ survivorship by reducing depredation or scavengery. That same day, an-
the ability to sustain flight and escape preda- other fledgling was found dead. The carcass
tors (O’Brien et al. 2001). In Blue Tits {Pams was found in a saguaro cavity, and pluAckGeFd
caeruleus), there was a strong negative cor- feathers were visible at the entrance.
relation between the heritability ofchick body (Arizona Game and Fish Department) re-
size and Protocalliphora infestation, as young searchers could not determine whether the
of infested nests produced offspring with a ntehsetnliwngaswasscadveepnrgeedda.tedAorcoinfcietnthraadteddiedeffaonrdt
shorter than average tarsus (Charmantier et al.
(~1 hr) by six researchers failed to locate the
2004). remaining fledgling. AGFresearchers returned
The Cimicidae includes about thirty species
of blood-feeding ectoparasites world wide. In to the nest area on three occasions and could
birds, infestation of Oeciacus vicarius was at- pneorts.loccoamtme.)th.eBtehciardusfelepdyglgimnyg-o(Dw.l Jf.leAdbglbiantges
tributed to the abandonment of nest houses do not disperse from their natal area until —56
used by adult Purple Martins (Progne subis), days postfledging (Proudfoot and Johnson
and to the death of 10 nestlings that fledged 2000; GAP pers. obs.), AGF researchers as-
prematurely (Loye and Ragan 1991). In Ne- sumed the remaining fledgling was also dead.
braska, high infestation of O. vicarius was Although pygmy-owls commonly reuse nest
credited with reduced body condition and sea- cavities (Weidensaul 1989), this nest cavity
sonal decline in reproductive success of Cliff was not active during the next season (2003;
Swallows {Petrochelidon pyrrhonota\ Brown D. J. Abbate pers. comm.). Notably, Cliff
and Brown 1986, 1999). Continued study Swallows avoid nesting in areas with previ-
showed that parasitized nestlings had in- ously high infestation levels of O. vicarius
creased asymmetry in wing and tail feathers, (Brown and Brown 1992).
possibly due to nutritional stress resulting There is no direct evidence that parasitic
from blood loss. Feather asymmetry may im- blood loss had an effect on the survival of
pair flight performance and reduce foraging these pygmy-owls. It is possible that drought
efficiency, a possible fitness cost to Cliff conditions in the Tucson Basin during 2002
Swallows (Brown and Brown 2002). In New (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/twc/climate/
Mexico, infestation of Haematosiphon ino- seazDM.php) were a contributing factor.
dorus was credited with the abandonment of However, after reviewing recent research on
one Prairie Falcon {Falco mexicanus) nest Protocalliphora and Cimicidae, we would not
(three eggs), and with the death of seven Prai- rule out parasitic blood loss as a factor con-
rie Falcon (broods of three and four) and two tributing to the mortality of these fledglings.
Red-tailed Hawk {Buteo jamaicensis) nest- Using hand removal of nest material, we col-
lings (Platt 1975). lected 119 H. sonorensis (~40/nestling). Av-
We know of no studies citing Protocalli- erage infestation of O. vicarius in Barn Swal-
phora or Cimicidae infestation as the cause of low and Cliff Swallow nests was 19 and 32/
a significant reduction in overall numbers of nestling, respectively (Orr and McCallister
any avian species; thus, it is likely that a co- 1985). Brown and Brown (1992) reported av-
existence has developed between parasite and erages of 199 and 565 O. vicarius/nest site.
host (Gold and Dahlsten 1983). However, we Assuming we collected 100% of the ectopar-
would not rule out the possibility that heavy asites from the nest cavity, the parasite load
hematophagous parasite infestations may be ('--40/nestling) we report exceeded levels re-
detrimental to populations ofspecies with low ported by Orr and McCallister (1985), but it
.
Proudfoot et al. • PROTOCALLIPHORA AND HESPEROCIMEXIN PYGMY-OWLS 187
A&M
was considerably less than the deleterious in- vided by the Entomology Department at Texas
j festation levels reported by Brown and Brown University.
1
(1986, 1992, 2001, 2003). Cimicidae, how- LITERATURE CITED
ever, are considered nocturnal and are known
to crawl into cracks and crevices during day- Adams, J. O. and M. J. R. Hall. 2003. Methods used
for the killing and preservation ofblowfly larvae,
light (Usinger 1966). Thus, extracting nest and their effect on post-mortem larval length. Fo-
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provided a conservative representation of H. Rohm, R. T. 1978. Protocalliphora infestation in Great
sonorensis infestation. Hand removal of nest Horned Owls. Wilson Bulletin 90:291
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i 1989. Willow Flycatcher nestling parasitized by
extract mobile P. sialia larvae or puparia that
larval fly, Protocalliphora cuprina. Wilson Bul-
were located in cavity crevices. In addition, as
letin 101:127.
poikilothermic organisms, the growth rate of Brown, C. R. andM. B. Brown. 1986. Ectoparasitism
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Ecology 73:1718-1723.
during May and June in Tucson, Arizona Brown, C. R. and M. B. Brown. 1999. Fitness com-
(http://wc.pima.edu/Bfiero/tucsonecology/ ponents associated with laying date in the Cliff
climate/stats.htm), we suspect that the life cycle Swallow. Condor 101:230-245.
!
of P. sialia in the Altar Valley of the Sonoran Brown, C. R. and M. B. Brown. 2001. Egg hatch-
i Desert is at or near the 18-day minimum for the alboiwlsi.tyJoiunrcnraelasoefs Fwiietlhd cOorlnointyholsiozgeyi7n2:C1li1f3f-1S2w3a.l-
I species (Sabrosky et al. 1989). Because its life Brown, C. R. and M. B. Brown. 2002. Ectoparasites
; cycle in Arizona may be considerably shorter cause increased bilateral asymmetry of naturally
than the average time nestling pygmy-owls selected traits in a colonial bird. Journal of Evo-
spend in the nest cavity (28 days; Proudfoot and lutionary Biology 15:1067-1075.
1
Johnson 2000), it is possible that multiple P. Brown, C. R. and M. B. Brown. 2003. Testis size
^ sialia parasitized pygmy-owl nestlings, com- increases with colony size in CliffSwallows. Be-
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' pleted their life cycle, and left the cavity as Charmantier, a., L. E. B. Kruuk, and M. Lam-
adults before we extracted nest material. Re-
1 BRECHTS. 2004. Parasitism reduces the potential
' grettably, we did not search nest material for for evolution in a wild bird population. Evolution
pupal cases. 58:203-206.
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