Previous studies on the tick infestation of birds in the Carpathian Basin focused on songbirds (Passeriformes). Thus, the primary aim of the present work was to extend the scope of previous studies, i.e. to include aquatic (water-associated) bird species in a similar context, especially considering that these birds are usually long-distance migrants. Between March 2021 and August 2023, 11,919 birds representing 126 species were checked for the presence of ticks. From 352 birds belonging to 40 species, 905 ixodid ticks were collected. Tick species were identified morphologically and/or molecularly. Ticks from avian hosts belonged to seven species: Ixodes ricinus (n = 448), I. frontalis (n = 31), I. festai (n = 2), I. arboricola (n = 36), I. lividus (n = 4), Haemaphysalis concinna (n = 382) and Dermacentor reticulatus (n = 2). Nymphs of I. ricinus occurred with a single activity peak around March–May, whereas its larvae typically infested birds in May, June or July. By contrast, H. concinna usually had its activity maximum during the summer (nymphs in June–July, larvae later in July–August). Interestingly, two ornithophilic species, I. frontalis and I. arboricola, were most active around winter months (between October and April). A significantly lower ratio of aquatic birds was found tick-infested than songbirds. Several new tick–host associations were revealed, including I. ricinus from Greylag Goose (Anser anser) and D. reticulatus from Great Egret (Ardea alba) and Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). Ticks were collected for the first time in Europe from two species of predatory birds as well as from Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus). Bird species typically inhabiting reedbeds were most frequently infested with H. concinna, and most ticks localized at their throat, as opposed to forest-dwelling avian hosts, on which I. ricinus predominated and ticks were more evenly distributed. In the evaluated region, aquatic birds appear to be less important in tick dispersal than songbirds. However, newly revealed tick-host associations in this category attest to their hitherto neglected contribution. The results suggest that the habitat type will have significant impact not only on the species composition but also on the feeding location of ticks on birds.

中文翻译：

---

对雀形目鸟类、与水相关的鸟类和掠食性鸟类的蜱负担的调查揭示了新的蜱-宿主关联和蜱感染的栖息地相关因素

先前对喀尔巴阡盆地鸟类蜱虫感染的研究主要集中在鸣禽（雀形目）。因此，本工作的主要目的是扩大以前的研究范围，即将水生（与水相关的）鸟类物种纳入类似的背景下，特别是考虑到这些鸟类通常是长途迁徙。2021 年 3 月至 2023 年 8 月期间，检查了代表 126 个物种的 11,919 只鸟类是否存在蜱虫。从属于 40 个物种的 352 只鸟类中，收集了 905 只蜱虫。通过形态学和/或分子学鉴定蜱种类。来自鸟类宿主的蜱属于七个物种：蓖麻硬蜱 (n = 448)、额蜱 I. frontalis (n = 31)、节蜱 I. festai (n = 2)、树蜱 I. arboricola (n = 36)、青斑蜱 I. lividus (n = 4)、Haemaphysalis concinna (n = 382) 和 Dermacentor reticulatus (n = 2)。蓖麻若虫在3月至5月左右出现单一活动高峰，而其幼虫通常在5月、6月或7月为害鸟类。相比之下，H. concinna 通常在夏季达到最大活动（若虫在 6 月至 7 月，幼虫在 7 月至 8 月）。有趣的是，两种嗜鸟物种，I. frontalis 和 I. arboricola，在冬季（十月至四月）期间最活跃。发现蜱虫感染的水禽比例明显低于鸣禽。一些新的蜱-宿主关联被揭示，包括来自灰雁（Anser anser）的蓖麻和来自大白鹭（Ardea alba）和莎草莺（Acrocephalus schoenobaenus）的网状蜱。欧洲首次从两种掠食性鸟类以及小麻鳅 (Ixobrychus minutus) 中采集蜱虫。通常栖息在芦苇丛中的鸟类最常感染 H. concinna，并且大多数蜱虫集中在它们的喉咙处，而森林鸟类宿主则相反，森林鸟类宿主中蓖麻蜱占主导地位，蜱虫分布更均匀。在评估区域，水生鸟类在蜱传播方面的重要性似乎不如鸣禽。然而，新发现的这一类别中的蜱宿主协会证明了它们迄今为止被忽视的贡献。结果表明，栖息地类型不仅会对物种组成产生重大影响，而且还会对鸟类蜱虫的摄食位置产生重大影响。