Cliff-swallow
Guides
Oeciacus vicarius
American swallow bug, cliff swallow bug, swallow nest bug
Oeciacus vicarius is a blood-feeding cimicid bug specialized as an ectoparasite of colonially nesting American cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota). It is widely distributed across North America, where it inhabits swallow nests in natural and anthropogenic structures. The species is a known vector of Buggy Creek Virus (Alphavirus, Togaviridae). Though it will bite humans when encountered, it does not establish persistent infestations in human dwellings.