Protocalliphora sialia

Shannon & Dobroscky, 1924

birdnest blowfly

Protocalliphora sialia is a parasitic blowfly that infests the nests of cavity-nesting birds. are nest-dwelling, intermittent that feed on nestling blood. The has been documented from multiple species including tree swallows, eastern bluebirds, and pygmy-owls. bacterial show geographic variation across the species' range.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Protocalliphora sialia: /ˌproʊtoʊˌkælɪˈfɔrə ˈsaɪəliə/

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Habitat

Nests of cavity-nesting birds

Distribution

North America; documented from western, midwestern, and eastern

Diet

Nestling bird blood (larval stage)

Host Associations

Tachycineta bicolor - tree swallow
Sialia sialis - eastern bluebird
Glaucidium brasilianum - pygmy-owl; new record for Arizona

Life Cycle

develop as within bird nests, feeding intermittently on nestling blood. are free-living and do not parasitize directly.

Behavior

feed intermittently rather than continuously on blood. Parasitized nestlings have been observed to compensate by accelerating growth late in the nestling period and delaying fledging.

Ecological Role

of cavity-nesting birds; may influence nestling development and survival. in this show geographic structuring with potential implications for - dynamics.

More Details

Wolbachia infection patterns

Western North are infected with two A-group (single and double ), while eastern populations mostly show single B-group infections. Midwestern populations are polymorphic. Mitochondrial haplotypes show perfect concordance with infection , suggesting two Wolbachia-associated selective sweeps.

Population genetics

Amplified fragment length analysis indicates genetic differentiation between western and eastern-midwestern , though has not acted as a complete barrier to .