Cage-free-poultry

Guides

Echidnophaga gallinacea
hen flea, sticktight flea, stickfast flea
Echidnophaga gallinacea is a small, dark brown flea that parasitizes a broad range of bird and mammal hosts including poultry, dogs, cats, and occasionally humans. Adult females embed permanently into host skin—typically on bare areas of the head and face—using a serrated mouthpart to feed on blood, while males remain mobile. Heavy infestations cause ulceration, dermatitis, anemia, and can be fatal to young or small hosts. The species has spread globally through poultry farming and is now established across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.
flea ectoparasite poultry-pest vector invasive cosmopolitan integrated-pest-management cage-free-poultry backyard-chickens hematophagy permanent-attachment sessile-female resilin jumping ctenidia-absent anaemia dermatitis ulceration Rickettsia Bartonella plague diatomaceous-earth maldison pesticide-resistance organic-farming animal-welfare economic-entomology veterinary-entomology host-generalist urban-wildlife-interface synanthropic