Host records for Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae) from birds of North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico).

The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877) (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae) is a broadly distributed blood-feeding parasite that has been collected from many birds of temperate regions. Previously, the most complete host list was published in 1938, and it included 15 North American (Canada, United States, and Mexico) host species. In the process of a general survey of bird-associated mites in Alberta, Canada, we recovered many O. sylviarum specimens. Herein, we update the previous host list with these observations and records published since 1938. We collected mites by washing the bodies of salvaged birds and examining the filtrate. Northern fowl mites were collected from 26 host species, with 16 of these species being the first host records for North America. Including results from the current study, O. sylviarum has been reported from 72 species of North American birds from 26 families. This updated host list will be useful to anyone interested in the role of O. sylviarum in transmission of avian disease.