Bird Mite
Scientific Name: Ornithonyssus sylviarum / Dermanyssus gallinae
Order & Family: Order: Mesostigmata; Family: Macronyssidae / Dermanyssidae
Size: 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm (barely visible to the naked eye as moving specks)
Natural Habitat
Typically found in bird nests (pigeons, starlings, sparrows) or on poultry; they migrate into homes when host birds leave the nest.
Diet & Feeding
Parasitic blood-feeders; they primarily feed on the blood of birds but will bite humans if their primary host is unavailable.
Behavior Patterns
They are highly mobile and active at night. They cannot survive for more than a few weeks without a bird host and cannot complete their life cycle on human blood.
Risks & Benefits
They pose no ecological benefit in homes. Risks include intense itching, skin irritation, and dermatitis from bites. They are not known to transmit diseases to humans.
Identified on: 3/7/2026