common name: pigeon louse fly or pigeon fly
scientific name: Pseudolychia canariensis (Macquart) (Insecta: Diptera: Hippoboscidae)
The pigeon louse fly, Pseudolychia canariensis (Macquart), is a common ectoparasite of pigeons
and doves. The louse flies (Hippoboscidae) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of birds and
mammals. Both adult males and females feed on the blood of their host. They are adapted for
clinging to and moving through the plumage and pelage of their hosts. Strongly specialized
claws help them cling to the hair or feathers of their particular host species. Pigeon flies retain
their wings for their entire adult life. Others species are wingless (like sheep keds) or lose their
wings once the newly emerged adults find a host (deer keds).
This fly is an obligate parasite of birds, especially feral and domestic pigeons and doves
(Columbiformes). It is found wherever pigeons are encountered in tropical, subtropical, and
temperate areas with mild winters worldwide. It occurs throughout Florida and the Southeastern
United States.
Pigeon louse flies are brown dorso-ventrally flattened flies that live among the body feathers of
pigeons and doves. They are about the same size as house flies (5 to 6 mm head and body length,
wings 6 to 7 mm) and are very slow fliers. They have a tough exoskeleton that protects them from
being crushed by the grooming host.
dorsal view female
ventral view of female
Louse flies have a very interesting reproductive strategy. The female produces one larva at a
time and retains the developing larva in her body until it is ready to pupate. The larva feeds on
the secretions of a "milk gland" in the uterus of its mother. After three larval instars, the larva
has reached its maximum size, the mother gives birth to the white pre-pupa which immediately
begins to darken and form the puparium or pupal shell. The pupa of the pigeon louse fly looks
like a dark brown, egg-shaped seed. The pupa is found in the nest of the host or on ledges
where the birds roost. When the fly has completed its metamorphosis, the winged adult emerges
from the puparium and flies in search of a host.
life cycle
This fly is an obligate parasite of birds, especially feral and domestic pigeons (Columba livia)
and doves (Columbiformes). Both sexes feed on the blood of the host bird. Theodor (1975)
reported that it occurs primarily on pigeons and doves and has been found on many other types
of birds in the Old World. He also reported that it only occurs on the domestic pigeon in
America. However, it has also been collected from morning doves (Zenaida macroura) in
Florida. Pigeon flies very rarely bite humans. Usually it is when a person is handling live
pigeons and the flies abandon the birds and land on the person. Occasionally pigeon flies bite
people after pigeons have been excluded from a structure. Newly emerged adults that are unable
to find a bird host may go to humans in desperation and bite. Pigeon flies cannot survive on
humans and are not known to transmit any diseases to humans. Their bites are comparable to
stable fly bites and can be a painful nuisance.
Pigeon flies are commonly parasitized by the mite Myialges anchora (Myialgesidae) in the Old
World (Theodor 1975) and this mite likely occurs in the Americas. The pigeon fly is the vector
and intermediate host for sporozoite production of the protozoan parasite of pigeons,
Haemoproteus columbae (Haemoproteidae: Haemosporidia) (Soulsby 1968). This malaria-like
parasite has minimal effects on adult pigeons, but can be fatal to young birds.
Bird biting lice in the suborder Ischnocera (Phthiraptera [Mallophaga]) are often found riding on
hippoboscid flies. This is a phoretic association and the lice do not feed on the flies. The lice
clasp the legs or setae of the fly's body with their mandibles and hitch a ride to the next bird
visited by the hippoboscid fly.
-
Soulsby EJL. 1968. Helminths, Arthropods, and Protozoa of Domesticated Animals. Williams
and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, MD. p.692
- Theodor O. 1975. Diptera pupipara; Fauna Palaestina-Insecta I. The Israel Academy of
Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, Israel. 170 pp.
Author: William H. Kern, Jr., University of Florida
Photographs by: Karen Wheeler, University of Florida
Project Coordinator: Thomas R. Fasulo, University of Florida
Publication Number: EENY-307
Publication Date: September 2003
Copyright 2003 University of Florida
Featured Creatures
Department of Entomology and Nematology
Division of Plant Industry
Electronic Data Information Source