Bird-nest
Guides
Nidicola jaegeri
minute pirate bug
Nidicola jaegeri is a minute pirate bug (family Anthocoridae) described from southern California in 1979. The species is specifically associated with bird nests, having been collected from the nests of the cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) and the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). As a member of the genus Nidicola, it belongs to a group of anthocorids that have evolved close associations with vertebrate nesting environments.
Niditinea
Niditinea is a genus of small moths in the family Tineidae, subfamily Tineinae. The genus contains 12-13 described species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Several species have been documented using bird nests as larval habitats, particularly in North America. The genus was established by Petersen in 1957.
Protocalliphora occidentalis
Protocalliphora occidentalis is a species of blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, described by Whitworth in 2003. The genus Protocalliphora comprises parasitic flies whose larvae develop in bird nests, feeding on nestling blood. This species is part of a group commonly known as bird nest flies or nestling parasites.
Protocalliphora sialia
birdnest blowfly
Protocalliphora sialia is a parasitic blowfly that infests the nests of cavity-nesting birds. Larvae are nest-dwelling, intermittent ectoparasites that feed on nestling blood. The species has been documented from multiple host species including tree swallows, eastern bluebirds, and ferruginous pygmy-owls. Wolbachia bacterial infections show geographic variation across the species' range.
Rhyopsocus texanus
Rhyopsocus texanus is a species of barklouse in the family Psoquillidae. It is distributed across Central America and North America, including the United States and Mexico. As a member of the Psocodea order, it belongs to a group of insects commonly associated with decaying organic matter and bird nests. The species was first described by Nathan Banks in 1930.
Trox scaber
Hide beetle, Scarab beetle
Trox scaber is a small hide beetle in the family Trogidae, measuring 5–8 mm. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution and is strongly associated with bird nests, where both adults and larvae develop. The species feeds on dried animal remains including skin, feathers, fur, and small dry carcasses. It is characterized by rough, sculptured elytra and pronotum with distinctive bristly scales, and exhibits a remarkable death-feigning behavior when disturbed.