Bird Mite
Ornithonyssus sylviarum / Dermanyssus gallinae
- Order & Family
- Order: Mesostigmata; Family: Macronyssidae / Dermanyssidae
- Size
- Exceedingly small, typically 0.5 to 1.0 mm (barely visible to the naked eye as moving specks).
Natural Habitat
Nests of wild or domestic birds (pigeons, starlings, sparrows, chickens), often migrating into human living spaces via vents or windows when birds leave the nest.
Diet & Feeding
Obligate blood-feeders. They primarily feed on the blood of birds but will bite humans if their avian hosts are unavailable.
Behavior Patterns
They are highly active crawlers that aggregate in crevices near host nesting sites. They follow a life cycle of egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult, often completing this cycle in 7 days under warm conditions.
Risks & Benefits
Risks: They cause intense itching, irritation, and dermatitis in humans but cannot survive or reproduce on human blood alone. Benefits: None to humans; they are significant pests in the poultry industry.