Low flea loads in birds' nests in tree cavities

Abstract

High flea (Siphonaptera) loads are typically found in birds’ nests in nestboxes. Ten years of observations, involving Marsh Tit Poecile palustris, Great Tit Parus major and Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus nests in tree cavities in primeval forests of Białowieża National Park, Eastern Poland, demonstrated that the prevalence of fleas was below 10% of nests and that the intensity of flea infestation was low. Low flea loads may constitute a typical feature for nests in tree cavities. Therefore, nest-box data on flea-host interactions should not be treated as representative for conditions in natural holes.